USC Professor Cheng-Ming Chuong points to a fossil and smiles: “This was the ancestor of the chambered nautilus.”
To him, it’s not just a relic, but nature’s code of evolution—and his lifelong quest to study morphogenesis: how life takes form to build tissue patterns and organ architecture .
For over four decades, Dr. Chuong has used the feather as a model to decipher the language of morphogenesis.
His discoveries appear multiple times in Science, Cell, and Nature—with Taiwan’s blue magpie on the cover of Cell.
Today, he is a USC pathology professor, an academician of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and an AAAS Fellow.
The son of physicians, with curiosity and persistence, he has pursued a lifelong dialogue with nature—a journey in search of the fundamental principles of morphogenesis.
Observe to Learn｜Seek to Know
Dr. Chuong’s love for life sciences began in childhood—watching seeds sprout and caterpillars transform.
At ten, he trimmed his kitten’s whiskers to test its balance, and instead of scolding, his parents urged him to keep learning from nature.
Born to a family of doctors, Dr.Chuong chose basic science over clinical practice. “Applications matter,” he said, “but someone must ask the principles.” At the microscope, he sought how cells work together to build life.
Feather Insights｜Molecular Quest
In 1978, with a full scholarship from Rockefeller University, Dr. Chuong pursued basic science, joining a molecular developmental biology lab to study how cells form tissues and organs—the process of morphogenesis.
His advisor, Gerald M. Edelman was honored with the Nobel Prize for studying molecular recognition of immunoglobulin. He urged young Dr. Chuong to explore the roles of cell adhesion molecules in cell recognition, and how neuronal cells build neural networks for his Ph.D. thesis.
While the question is fundamental and interesting, neural pathways intermingled and difficult to sort out.
One night, while preparing a chicken embryo sections, Dr. Chuong accidentally found the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) is also expressed in the developing feathers, in distinct and periodic pattern, and more accessible to experimentation.
He contemplates the fundamental adhesion molecules and principles are shared among different organs, and choose the feather as a model to study morphogenesis.
Subsequently, he and wife Dr. Violet Shen relocate to California.
Dr. Chuong joined University of Southern California, and the chair at the time, Clive Taylor, supported him to build his lab and pursue the study on the development, regeneration and evolution of the integuments.
Dinosaurs to Feathers｜Magpies to Fame
Chuong collaborates with Dr. Xing Xu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who has discovered many fossils of feather dinosaurs to study the evolutionary origin of feathers.
In 2014, they and other coauthors published a review about the birth of birds, established the origin of bird evolution, and the study was named as one of Science’s Top 10 Breakthroughs that year.
In 2019, Chuong’s study “The Making of a Flight Feather”, coauthored with a team in China Medical University in Taiwan, appeared in Cell with Taiwan’s blue magpie on the cover.
The work revealed feathers’ hook structure—light yet self-repairing—and inspired designs from aviation to biomaterials.
Cells Self-Organize｜Medicine Reborn
Dr. Chuong’s work on skin stem cells showed how tissues self-organize and regenerate, opening paths to burn therapy, artificial skin, and regenerative medicine—proof that nature’s principles fuel innovation.
Chuong says, “Ask the fundamental significance of a question, not whether it is trendy.” People think his feather studies is original but may be too unique, then stem cell biology made it one of the mainstream models for regenerative biology.
Pointing to a fossil, Chuong said, “Darwin explained the why; developmental biology asks the how. In evolution, diversity arises through genetic variation and developmental processes.
Over time, natural selection favors variants that confer higher fitness under specific environmental conditions.
Through this interplay, phenotypes become adaptable, allowing organisms to survive and thrive in changing environments.
Yet, when we learn how phenotypes are shaped, they can be applied toward regenerative medicine.”
Across Oceans｜Solving Life’s Puzzle
Though long in the U.S., Chuong has stayed closely tied to Taiwan.
He is a senior advisor of Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine in National Taiwan University, helped to build a research center for Wound Repair and Regenerative Research at National Cheng Kung University,collaborated with NCHU, advising China Medical University on stem cell research, and mentoring NDMC physician.
His USC lab brings together professors, graduate students, and top interns from the U.S., China, and Taiwan—uniting across cultures to explore life’s mysteries.
Traces in Fossils｜Inspiration in Science
For Chuong, science is never just cold data. His home feels like a natural history museum—zebra hides, caribou horns, fossils, even a nautilus table, marking of his dialogue with nature.
A passionate traveler, he also likes to travel archeological sites and museums of different cultures. He brought back collections and replicas.
“Fossils are letters from nature, while artistic artifacts are the frozen records of human brain creativities”. These treasures rekindle his childhood wonder and inspire new discoveries.
Enduring Passion｜Endless Discovery
Chuong advises young students: “Find what you love, keep passion.” Passion carries you through hardship; only by seeking principles can true discovery emerge.
On his living room wall hangs four calligraphic words from senior Academician, Professor Shu Chien: “Learning from Nature.” More than art, it is the motto of his life in science.
Learning from Nature｜A Lifelong Quest
From a cat’s whiskers to NTU, from Rockefeller to USC, from Science to Cell—Chuong’s life is a quest of “learning from nature.”
British philosopher and poet William Blake put it this way,
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower”
Dr. Chuong studies morphogenesis through a feather.
Like a feather, his scientific journey is light yet powerful—to soar, to regenerate, and to inspire. A pioneer and role model, he proves that seeking life’s mysteries is a magnificent pursuit.
All archival photos and PPTs provided by Professor Chuong