2019/02/02
How Alan Turing Deciphered Shark Skin
"[Turing's] theory outlined how endless varieties of stripes, spots, and scales could emerge from the interaction of two simple, hypothetical chemical agents, or 'morphogens.' Decades passed before biologists seriously considered that this mathematical theory could in fact explain myriad biological patterns. The development of mammalian hair, the feathers of birds, and even those ridges on the roof of your mouth all stem from Turing-like mechanisms." News article @ Nautilus, full research article @ Science Advances
The arrangement of denticles on a stained shark embryo (left) closely mirrors the pattern produced by researchers’ mathematical Turing model.
Labels: #Development, #Morphogenesis, #Turing
