The main body cavity of certain simple animals, particularly in embryonic or larval stages, that serves as a primitive digestive chamber.
From Greek 'gastro-' (stomach) and '-coel' (cavity), referring to a stomach-like space. In developmental biology, this cavity is fundamental to early organism development.
The gastrocoel is a window into evolutionary history—studying this simple cavity in developing embryos helps scientists understand how complex digestive systems evolved from basic pouches billions of years ago.
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