The human body is incredibly complex. It consists of about 30 trillion cells organized into around different cell types. It contains miles of nerves and blood vessels and about 20 square feet of skin. There are about 100 trillion connections between the different cells in the human brain. Yet despite all this complexity, we all started life as a single cell. To get from one fertilized egg to an adult organism, cells have to differentiate—that is, they have to change their contents, shapes, behaviors, etc. All of this differentiation is coordinated by the release and reception of signaling molecules, like hormones and neurotransmitters.
The following images are inspired by (but do not accurately depict) some of the hormones and neurotransmitters that are known to play a role in human development and behavior.
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Dendroaspis Natriuretic Peptide
Deoxycorticosterone
Deoxycortisol
Deoxycortisone
Deoxycortone
Diazepam Binding Inhibitor
Dihomo-γ-Linolenic Acid
Dihydroboldenone
Dihydrodeoxycorticosterone
Dihydroprogesterone
Dihydrotestosterone
Dihydroxyestrin
Dihydroxyphenylalanine
Dihydroxypregnenolone
Dihydroxyprogesterone
Dinoprostone
Docosatetraenoic Acid
Docosatetraenoylethanolamide
Dopamine
Dynorphin
Eicosanoid
Eicosapentaenoic Acid
Eltanolone
Endomorphin
Endorphin
Endothelin
Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor
Enkephalin
Enovin
Eoxamides
Eoxin
Ephrin
Epiallopregnanolone
Epiandrosterone
Epidermal Growth Factor
Epietiocholanediol
Epietiocholanolone
Epi-lipoxin
Epinephrine
Epipregnanolone
Epitestosterone
Erythropoietin
Estetrol
Estradiol
Estratetraenol
Estrin
Estriol
Estrogen
Estrone
Ethisterone
Ethylandrostane
Ethyletiocholane
Etiocholane
Etiocholanediol
Etiocholanedione
Etiocholanolone
Fetuin
Fibrinogen
Fibroblast Growth Factor
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone
Fractalkine
Galanin
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Gasotransmitter
Gastric Inhibitory Peptide
Gastrin
Gastrin-Releasing Peptide
Ghrelin
Glia Maturation Factor
Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Glucagon
Glucocorticoid
Glutamate
Glycine
Gonadocorticoid
Gonadoliberin
Gonadotropin
Gonadotropin-Inhibitory Hormone
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
Granin
Granulin
These illustrations were drawn using Stable Diffusion 2.1.
