The Effect of Different Time Scales in Cell and Developmental Biology as Recorded by Microscopy

The processes of biology are inherently dynamic in space and time and span several orders of magnitudes in both dimensions. Modern bioimaging techniques enable researchers to record the fast molecular and cellular reactions which underlie slower changes at the tissue and organismal levels. The challenge is how to design, analyze, and interpret experiments in a way which takes into account the temporal complexity. This review gives several examples of how modern microscopy and fluorescent molecules enable the recording of cellular and developmental processes at different time scales, points at potential experimental and interpretational pitfalls, and provides considerations for the design and analysis of time-lapse experiments.