Lab Snapshots
by Marek Ples
Examples of self-organization in the living world
Self-organization is a process where some form of overall order arises from local interactions between parts of an initially disordered system. The process can be spontaneous when sufficient energy is available, not needing control by any external agent.
Self-organization in biology can be observed in spontaneous folding of proteins and other biomacromolecules, self-assembly of lipid bilayer membranes, pattern formation and morphogenesis in developmental biology, the coordination of human movement, eusocial behavior in insects (bees, ants, termites) and mammals, and flocking in birds and fish.
The phenomenon of self-organization is apparently universal throughout the natural world - in Fig.1, I provide examples from my own experience.
Gallery:
Fig.1
A - A fairy/pixie ring is a naturally occurring circle or arc of mushrooms, B - Circles formed by molds on rotting apple, C - Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis fur as example of Turing patterns, D - An example of a natural Turing pattern on Fahaka Pufferfish Tetraodon lineatus skin
That's not all
For more information, please visit www.weirdscience.eu. You can also contact me by email (moze.dzis@gmail.com).
Further readings:
- Liesegang R.E., Eueber einige Eigenschaften von Gallerten, Naturwissenschaftliche Wochenschrift, 11, nr 30, 1896, pp: 353-362
- Torii K. U., Two-dimensional spatial patterning in developmental systems, Trends in Cell Biology, 22(2012), pp: 438–446
- Turing A. M., The chemical basis of morphogenesis, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences, 641(1952), pp: 37-72
- Orlik M., Self-Organization in Electrochemical Systems (t. I i II), Springer, 2012
- Harrison L. G., Kinetic Theory of Living Pattern, Endeavour, Cambridge University Press, 18 (4), 1993, pp: 130-6
- Kondo S., Miura T., Reaction-Diffusion Model as a Framework for Understanding Biological Pattern Formation, Science, 329 (5999), 2010, pp: 1616-1620