The chemical basis of morphogenesis
Encyclopedia
The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis is an article written by Alan Turing
in 1951 describing the way in which non-uniformity (stripes, spots, spirals, etc) may arise naturally out of a homogeneous, uniform state.
The theory (which can be called a reaction–diffusion theory of morphogenesis
),
has served as a basic model in theoretical biology, and is seen by some as the very beginning of chaos theory
.
.
The above-mentioned patterns (fronts, spirals, targets, hexagons, stripes and dissipative solitons) can be found in various types of reaction-diffusion systems in spite of large discrepancies e.g. in the local reaction terms.
It has also been argued that reaction-diffusion processes are an essential basis for processes
connected to animal coats and skin pigmentation. Another reason for the interest
in reaction-diffusion systems is that
although they represent nonlinear partial differential equation,
there are often possibilities for an analytical treatment.
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
in 1951 describing the way in which non-uniformity (stripes, spots, spirals, etc) may arise naturally out of a homogeneous, uniform state.
The theory (which can be called a reaction–diffusion theory of morphogenesis
Morphogenesis
Morphogenesis , is the biological process that causes an organism to develop its shape...
),
has served as a basic model in theoretical biology, and is seen by some as the very beginning of chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
.
Applications
Reaction–diffusion systems have attracted much interest as a prototype model for pattern formationPattern formation
The science of pattern formation deals with the visible, orderly outcomes of self-organisation and the common principles behind similar patterns....
.
The above-mentioned patterns (fronts, spirals, targets, hexagons, stripes and dissipative solitons) can be found in various types of reaction-diffusion systems in spite of large discrepancies e.g. in the local reaction terms.
It has also been argued that reaction-diffusion processes are an essential basis for processes
connected to animal coats and skin pigmentation. Another reason for the interest
in reaction-diffusion systems is that
although they represent nonlinear partial differential equation,
there are often possibilities for an analytical treatment.