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With its hexagonal spots and keen stripes, the ornate boxfish’s distinctive appearance has left engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder puzzled over how it attained such intricate markings.
Alan Turing, a renowned mathematician who invented modern computing, believed that animals acquired their patterns through the production of chemical agents diffusing through skin tissue, akin to creamer in coffee. But Turing’s approach did not sufficiently explain how the ornate boxfish’s patterns remained sharp.
Recently published in the journal of Science Advances, a new study by engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder delves into the mechanism of diffusiophoresis to shed light on the creation of such defining patterns. Diffusiophoresis describes the motion of molecules responding to a concentration gradient of a separate chemical, resulting in concentrated and clumped pigment cells.
According to an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, Ankur Gupta, the study’s findings suggest that chromatophores, pigment cells, create sharp spots and stripes through the trajectory of diffusiophoresis, forming much clearer outlines.
Gupta believes this research could inspire further examination of diffusiophoresis and its implications on biological processes and pattern formation.
Dr. Andrew Krause, an assistant professor of applied mathematics at Durham University, emphasizes the importance of ideas like diffusion for biological function, reflecting on Turing’s hypothesis about animal pattern formation.
Evolving Turing’s Theory
Turing’s 1952 hypothesis, “The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis,” proposed a systematic chemical reaction-diffusion process for animal pattern formation, inspiring further modifications such as diffusiophoresis to better sharpen his theory. However, other possibilities remain to be explored, says Jeremy Green of King’s College London, a professor of developmental biology. He believes that diffusiophoresis is only one of the many mechanisms that could influence pattern formation.
While the recent study addresses the potential of diffusiophoresis, both Gupta and Green affirm that it does not claim to be the sole explanation, emphasizing the need for continued research on refining Turing’s theory.
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