| The developing spinal cord contains populations of neural progenitor cells that form the nerves and supporting cells of the adult spinal cord. This picture shows a cross-section of a four-day old chicken embryo at the time when the progenitor cells are just beginning to form nerve cells. The cyan, blue, and turquoise cells at the center of the spinal cord are different classes of progenitors while the cells maturing into nerves stain yellow, orange and red. Although this is a picture of a chick embryo, a mammalian embryo would look quite similar. |
