Predicting development has been a major challenge in genetics, medicine and evolutionary biology. More than half a century ago, Conrad Hal Waddington famously raised several issues in understanding ‘cybernetics’ of development in his book ‘The Strategy of the Genes’, such as impact of environment, maternal effect and developmental buffering. My previous study showed that buffering level is maternally inherited, and identified key maternal mRNAs that predicts level of developmental buffering. Since maternal mRNAs are a major cause of embryonic defects, delivering necessary maternal mRNAs can safeguard eggs from environmental impacts. I will introduce my ongoing work on predicting impact of thermal stress on development. 

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