This document provides an overview of key concepts in developmental biology. It discusses induction, in which one cell or tissue signals another to influence developmental fate. Competence is the ability of a cell to respond to inductive signals through expression of receptors. Commitment is when a cell decides its fate, either through inductive signals or cytoplasmic determinants distributing asymmetrically. Specification is a reversible commitment, while determination is irreversible. Differentiation allows cells to become specialized through protein synthesis. Morphogenesis involves a cell gaining shape. Autonomous and conditional specification are strategies where cells determine fate independently or through interactions, respectively.