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Developmental pioneer García Bellido dies

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Antonio García-Bellido, the pioneering Spanish developmental biologist whose work on Drosophila revealed genetic organizers and shaped modern developmental genetics, died Monday in Spain at 89.

by Investigaciones Científicas

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csic.es
Lamentamos el fallecimiento de Antonio García-Bellido, cofundador e investigador principal del @cbm-csic-uam.bsky.social 

Fue referente en el estudio de las bases genéticas del desarrollo y de la diferenciación celular. Todo nuestro cariño para sus familiares y amigos.
Muere Antonio García-Bellido, descubridor de las fronteras invisibles dentro de los seres vivos
El biólogo, fallecido a los 89 años, deja un legado científico que roza las alturas de los nobeles Santiago Ramón y Cajal y Severo Ochoa
f.mtr.cool
November 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
El Mundo
Antonio García-Bellido, the father of the Spanish school of Developmental Biology

The geneticist, who died at 89, won the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific Research, and his work helped to explain how living beings originate.

Antonio García-Bellido, the father of the Spanish school of Developmental Biology
Reposts 0 18h
ABC
Antonio García-Bellido dies, the biologist who explained how living beings develop

"He opened up the perspective for understanding the logic of development." With these words, British Nobel laureate Francis Crick, famous for being one of the discoverers of the structure of DNA together with James Watson, acknowledged García-Bellido's work, one of Spain's most distinguished scientists and internationally highly regarded. The Madrid-born biologist died on Monday at 89, leaving a valuable legacy in research on how living beings become what they are thanks to genetics and cellular differentiation. A friend of Severo Ochoa and recognized worldwide, García-Bellido explained how from a single cell, the egg or zygote, others form in successive divisions that differentiate and later give rise to the tissues and organs of a living being. His work was pioneering in showing that development is not random, but that there is an internal logic, a genetic plan that guides it. The genes he discovered, responsible for the differentiation of neurons and glial cells, remain references in medicine, neurobiology and evolution, and are currently used as molecular indicators in studies of human diseases such as cancer. Related news: If the resurrection of the dodo: in a few years and with pigeon DNA—Judith de Jorge. The Colossal Company advances in the dream of bringing back the extinct bird, but biologists say it will hatch a hybrid and warn of moral dilemmas. The researcher was especially known for his work on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a classic model in genetics. His studies helped uncover how genes control the development of organs during embryogenesis. He developed the theory of "genetic organization," which proposes that genes not only determine individual characteristics, but also play a crucial role in the spatial organization of tissues during development. One of his key findings was in the field of homeotic genes, which control the formation of body structures during embryonic development. He showed that mutations in certain Drosophila genes could cause abnormal development of parts of the fly's body, such as legs forming instead of antennae, opening a new line of research in developmental biology. These discoveries helped establish the foundations of modern biology and genetics as we know them today and influenced generations of geneticists and biologists. A Bachelor of Biological Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958, he earned a PhD in Sciences with the extraordinary prize in 1962. He later expanded his knowledge at Cambridge and Zurich, as well as at the California Institute of Technology. Professor at CSIC since 1974, he later held the positions of director of the Institute of Genetics and of the Center for Molecular Biology, from 1980 to 1981. He was an honorary adjunct professor of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), and carried out his work at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology in Madrid. MORE INFORMATION: article If elite training for the best talents in mathematics: free, with a prestigious tutor and throughout the entire career; article If They find the oldest air ever found in the Antarctic blue ice. His work was recognized with the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research 1984. He also received the Leopold Mayer Prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences, the National Prize for Scientific Research Santiago Ramón y Cajal and the Severo Ochoa Chair in Biology. He was a Nobel Prize candidate in 1979 and 1995. Honorary doctorates from several universities; he was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of London, the National Academy of Sciences and former president of the Spanish Society of Developmental Biology. In 2009 he was honored in the first edition of the National Genetics Prize.

Antonio García-Bellido dies, the biologist who explained how living beings develop
Reposts 1 19h

Reposted by Pablo García‐Díaz

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manuelansede.bsky.social
Ha muerto Antonio García-Bellido, uno de los mejores científicos de la historia de España tras descubrir las fronteras invisibles dentro de los seres vivos: elpais.com/ciencia/2025...
Muere Antonio García-Bellido, descubridor de las fronteras invisibles dentro de los seres vivos
El biólogo, fallecido a los 89 años, deja un legado científico que roza las alturas de los nobeles Santiago Ramón y Cajal y Severo Ochoa
elpais.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 PM
El Pais
Antonio García-Bellido dies, discoverer of the invisible borders within living beings

The biologist, who died at 89, leaves a scientific legacy that approaches the heights of Nobel laureates Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Severo Ochoa.

Antonio García-Bellido dies, discoverer of the invisible borders within living beings
Reposts 27 22h
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