An international journal dedicated to the rapid publication of original research in early embryology, Zygote covers interdisciplinary studies on gametogenesis through fertilization to gastrulation in animals and humans. The scope has been expanded to include clinical papers, molecular and developmental genetics. The editors will favour work describing fundamental processes in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of animal development, and, in particular, the identification of unifying principles in biology. Nonetheless, new technologies, review articles, debates and letters will become a prominent feature.