In a new Commentary in the Journal of Experimental Biology, former KLI fellow Nina Kraus introduces Environmentally Dependent Developmental Induction (EDDI), a theoretical model proposing that environmental cues during embryonic development—such as oxygenation and mechanical forces—play an active role in shaping heart evolution. Focusing on vertebrate cardiogenesis, the paper suggests that key cardiac innovations rely on environmentally triggered expansions of developmental programs, rather than through genetic change alone. This framework offers a unifying explanation for both the evolutionary diversification of the heart and the developmental origins of congenital heart defects.

Publication:

Nina Kraus; Environmentally dependent developmental induction as a potential driver of heart evolution. J Exp Biol 15 January 2026; 229 (2): jeb250920. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.250920