On growth and form: mathematics, mechanics and morphogenesis
February 25, 2009 3pm, 204 SEC
Abstract
The growth and form of a soft solid pose a range of problems that combine aspects of geometry and physics. I will discuss some examples of growth and form in the
plant and animal world motivated by qualitative and quantitative biological observations. The problems include the shape of a freely growing pollen tube, the
undulating fringes on a leaf or petal, the folds in a mammalian brain, and the coiling of a vertebrate intestine. In each case, we will see how a combination of
physical experiments, mathematical models and simple computations allow us to unravel the basis for the diversity and complexity of shape in biology.
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