Over the years, scientists have been shedding light on the mechanics of segmentation clocks in various organisms like chicken and mice. But the existence of the clock was still unknown in humans. Now a team led by developmental biologist Olivier Pourquié has developed the first lab-dish models of the segmentation clock using stem cells from adult human tissue that will help to study the very early spine development in humans. The research has provided evidence that the segmentation clock ticks in humans and open new doors for understanding the developmental conditions of the spine, such as congenital scoliosis. Pourquié hopes that the new stem cell model will help the researchers to generate differentiated tissue for research and clinical applications.