--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whole batteries of genes are turned on…" description: "\"“Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly development, and this pattern of gene activity serves to demarcate the different regions of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png" --- # Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly… ![“Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly development, and this pattern of gene activity serves to demarcate the different regions of the fly.” quote by Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png) > ““Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly development, and this pattern of gene activity serves to demarcate the different regions of the fly.”” [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gene activation patterns during fly development delineate distinct body regions, illustrating how genetic regulation shapes anatomy. **In simple terms:** Gene switches define body parts. Key Takeaway Study gene regulation to understand development. Themes biology genetics development Mood curious inquisitive Type scientific educational When to use this quote - research labs - education curricula - biotech applications Key Concepts morphogenesis gene expression Questions to Reflect On - How do gene patterns translate to adult structures? - What can we learn for regenerative medicine? A Different Perspective Gene networks are highly complex and context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) ## Related quotes > [“At conception, we start as a single cell that contains all the DNA needed to build our body. The plan for that entire body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/at-conception-we-start-as-a-single-cell-that-contains-all-the-dna/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [We know specific genes are turned on in specific cells, but we don't know to what extent this happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gilbert/we-know-specific-genes-are-turned-on-in-specific-cells-but-we-don-t/) [Walter Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gilbert/) > [“Second, the production of RNA Messages was coordinately regulated. When the sugar source was switched to lactose, the bacteria turned on an entire module…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/second-the-production-of-rna-messages-was-coordinately-regulated-when/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [“In areas close to the ZPA, where there is a high concentration of this molecule, cells would respond by making a pinky. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/in-areas-close-to-the-zpa-where-there-is-a-high-concentration-of-this/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“... two little patches of tissue essentially control the development of the pattern of bones inside limbs. A strip of tissue at the extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/two-little-patches-of-tissue-essentially-control-the-development-of/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) ## More by Neil Shubin > [“... two little patches of tissue essentially control the development of the pattern of bones inside limbs. A strip of tissue at the extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/two-little-patches-of-tissue-essentially-control-the-development-of/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“In areas close to the ZPA, where there is a high concentration of this molecule, cells would respond by making a pinky. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/in-areas-close-to-the-zpa-where-there-is-a-high-concentration-of-this/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“All the genetic switches that make fingers, arm bones, and toes do their thing during the third to eighth week after conception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/all-the-genetic-switches-that-make-fingers-arm-bones-and-toes-do/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“My building was constructed in 1896, and the utilities reflect an odd design that has been jerry-rigged further with each renovation. If you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/my-building-was-constructed-in-1896-and-the-utilities-reflect-an-odd/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“So here is the trick to designing a new fossil expedition: find rocks that are of the right age, of the right type (sedimentary),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/so-here-is-the-trick-to-designing-a-new-fossil-expedition-find-rocks/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“Our hundreds of useless olfactory genes are left over from mammal ancestors who relied more heavily on the sense of smell to survive ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/our-hundreds-of-useless-olfactory-genes-are-left-over-from-mammal/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“The retina absorbs the light via sensitive light-gathering cells ... In humans these cells make up about 70 percent of all the sensory cells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/the-retina-absorbs-the-light-via-sensitive-light-gathering-cells-in/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“Some fish, for example the lungfish, have the one bone at the base. Other fish, for example Eusthenopteron, have the one bone–two bones arrangement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/some-fish-for-example-the-lungfish-have-the-one-bone-at-the-base/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“The key to tooth development is that an interaction between these two layers of tissue, an outer sheet of cells and an inner loose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/the-key-to-tooth-development-is-that-an-interaction-between-these-two/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“The molecules that allow microbes to catch their prey and hold on to them are likely candidates for the molecules that form the rivet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/the-molecules-that-allow-microbes-to-catch-their-prey-and-hold-on-to/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“In a perfectly designed world —one with no history— we would not have to suffer everything from hemorrhoids to cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/in-a-perfectly-designed-world-one-with-no-history-we-would-not-have/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“The first hard hydroxyapatite-containing body parts were teeth. Hard bones arose not to protect animals, but to eat them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/the-first-hard-hydroxyapatite-containing-body-parts-were-teeth-hard/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“Tiktaalik has a shoulder, elbow, and wrist composed of the same bones as an upper arm, forearm, and wrist in a human. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/tiktaalik-has-a-shoulder-elbow-and-wrist-composed-of-the-same-bones/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [“Our body dries out with every passing year; newborns are about 75 percent water, not much different from an average potato.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/our-body-dries-out-with-every-passing-year-newborns-are-about-75/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [Take the entire 4.5-billion-year history of the earth and scale it down to a single year, with January 1 being the origin of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/take-the-entire-4-5-billion-year-history-of-the-earth-and-scale-it/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) [Explore all 47 Neil Shubin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) ## More Evolution quotes > [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The true nature of soul is right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The soul, so long as it is subject to transmigration, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-true-nature-of-soul-is-right-knowledge-right-faith-and-right/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/) Hideaki Sena > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [The next evolution of content marketing is not more content; it's better distribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-penn/the-next-evolution-of-content-marketing-is-not-more-content-it-s/) [Chris Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-penn/) [Browse all 6,185 Evolution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly development, and this pattern of gene activity serves to demarcate the different regions of the fly.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Shubin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-and-off-during-fly-development/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evolution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-and-off-during-fly-development/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/neil-shubin-14335_evolution_whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-a_1178885.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whole batteries of genes are turned on and off during fly development, and this pattern of gene activity…” — Neil Shubin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Neil Shubin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Whole batteries of genes are turned...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-and-off-during-fly-development/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/whole-batteries-of-genes-are-turned-on-and-off-during-fly-development/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```