blastula
/ˈblastjʊlə
/noun (plural blastulae /ˈblastjʊliː/ or US blastulas) Embryology
An animal embryo at the early stage of development when it is a hollow ball of cells.With time, cells gradually become determined, so that similar cells taken from later-stage blastulas and early gastrulas develop according to their fate at the time of transplantation....
- Gastrulation in its broadest sense is the reorganization of the cells of the blastula to form a multilayered embryo, the gastrula.
- Embryos treated at lower concentrations showed delayed gastrulation and those treated at higher concentrations developed to blastulae having abnormal blastocoels with excess cells.
Origin
Late 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek blastos 'sprout'.