Epiblast diversification and blood formation in a human pregastrula

Researchers published findings on June 24, 2026, in Nature, detailing the early stages of human embryonic development. Using high-resolution spatial transcriptome analysis of a human embryo at Carnegie stage 6, the study identified three distinct developmental pathways originating from the epiblast. These pathways lead to the formation of the amnion, primitive streak, and axial mesoderm. Crucially, the research detected the initiation of haematopoiesis, the process of blood cell formation, occurring before gastrulation. This blood formation was found to originate from the hypoblast, not the epiblast, challenging previous assumptions about early hematopoiesis.