Pattern formation
Hello there! Today we are going to talk about something called pattern formation. Have you ever seen a pattern before? Maybe on your clothes, on a rug or maybe even on your mommy's shirt? A pattern is like an arrangement of shapes, colors, or objects that repeat over and over again.
Now, patterns are not only seen in clothes, rugs or shirts, but they also occur naturally in the world around us. Just look at the stripes on a zebra, the symmetry of a butterfly's wings, or the spirals on a seashell. Pattern formation is the process by which these patterns are formed in nature.
Let's take the example of a zebra's stripes. Do you know how they get those stripes? It's not just random; there is actually a very specific process that determines the pattern of the stripes. When a zebra is still in the womb, its skin cells release a chemical called morphogen. This chemical diffuses (moves around) through the skin and creates a concentration gradient (a range of different amounts of the chemical).
As the gradient of morphogen becomes established, it triggers a response in the skin cells, which in turn divide and differentiate (change) to produce the arrangement of dark and light stripes that we see on the zebra.
This process of morphogen diffusion, concentration gradient formation and cellular response is just one example of how patterns are formed in nature. Other examples include the Fibonacci sequence seen in plants, the spots on a leopard, the branching of trees, and the network of veins and capillaries in our own bodies.
Pattern formation is a very complex process that involves a variety of factors including genetics, physics, and chemistry. Scientists are still studying the intricacies of pattern formation, but one thing is for sure, patterns are fascinating and beautiful things that we can see all around us!
Now, patterns are not only seen in clothes, rugs or shirts, but they also occur naturally in the world around us. Just look at the stripes on a zebra, the symmetry of a butterfly's wings, or the spirals on a seashell. Pattern formation is the process by which these patterns are formed in nature.
Let's take the example of a zebra's stripes. Do you know how they get those stripes? It's not just random; there is actually a very specific process that determines the pattern of the stripes. When a zebra is still in the womb, its skin cells release a chemical called morphogen. This chemical diffuses (moves around) through the skin and creates a concentration gradient (a range of different amounts of the chemical).
As the gradient of morphogen becomes established, it triggers a response in the skin cells, which in turn divide and differentiate (change) to produce the arrangement of dark and light stripes that we see on the zebra.
This process of morphogen diffusion, concentration gradient formation and cellular response is just one example of how patterns are formed in nature. Other examples include the Fibonacci sequence seen in plants, the spots on a leopard, the branching of trees, and the network of veins and capillaries in our own bodies.
Pattern formation is a very complex process that involves a variety of factors including genetics, physics, and chemistry. Scientists are still studying the intricacies of pattern formation, but one thing is for sure, patterns are fascinating and beautiful things that we can see all around us!