Watch as an alpine salamander grows from a single cell.

mage credit: Jan van IJken/Youtube

Dutch director Jan van IJken has produced a captivating short film titled ‘Becoming’ that portrays the entire embryonic growth of an alpine newt in about six minutes, compressing a process that normally takes about three weeks.

The film commences by illustrating the fundamental process of embryogenesis, where a single cell of the newt divides and multiplies into several cells.

“We see the ‘making of’ a salamander in its transparent egg from fertilization to hatching,” according to IJken’s website. “The first stages of embryonic development are roughly the same for all animals, including humans. In the film, we can observe a universal process which is normally invisible: the very beginning of an animal’s life. A single cell is transformed into a complete, complex living organism with a beating heart and running bloodstream.”

Van IJken utilized microscopes to capture a time-lapse footage of the alpine newt’s metamorphosis from a solitary zygote to a hatched larvae. The six-minute film showcases every phase of embryogenesis, as confirmed by IJken.

The initial stage involves the zygote undergoing multiple rounds of cleavage, whereby a single cell divides into smaller cells, without a surge in mass.

After this stage, the embryo has produced so many cells that multiplies its cells that result in the formation of a blastula, a spherical cluster of cells.

From cell to organism. Image credit: Jan van IJken/Youtube

At this point, the cells converge to generate three distinct layers of cells, namely the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. The ectoderm encompasses an organism’s nervous system, while the mesoderm develops muscles and connective tissues.

Lastly, the endoderm establishes the foundation for internal organs, such as the digestive system.

Afterward, the embryo initiates the process of neurulation, in which the ectoderm metamorphoses into neural tissue, forming the brain and spinal cord.

At last, the larvae hatches from the egg. Image credit: Jan van IJken/Youtube

The commencement of organogenesis leads to the creation of the primary organs of the creature. During this stage, observable features of the newt such as the beating heart and eyes emerge, and the larvae eventually hatches from the egg.

Sources: 1, 2