A Remarkable Six Minute Timelapse Showing a Single Cell Zygote Developing Into an Alpine Newt Tadpole

Dutch filmmaker Jan van IJken (previously) has created “Becoming”, amazing timelapse footage capturing a single cell Alpine newt zygote as it develops, turning it into a multi-cell banana colored tadpole that sprouts tiny legs as it matures over the course of six minutes.

This timelapse video from the Dutch director Jan van IJken tracks the development of a single-celled zygote into the hatched larva of an alpine newt. Captured in stunning detail at microscopic scales, Becoming is a remarkable look at the process of cell division and differentiation, whence all animals – from newts to humans – come.