2025/11/01 by Nikolas H Claussen, Fridtjof Brauns, Sebastian J. Streichan · 1 voice · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation #Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.1242/dev.204894
In morphogenesis, biology uses physics to sculpt organs. Understanding this fascinating process requires interdisciplinary collaboration. We highlight recent work in the 'physics of development', with a focus on the interplay between quantitative experiments and mathematical theory. We argue that the role of theory in developmental biology lies in identifying and describing dynamical mechanisms - from the processing of positional information to mechanical pattern formation - independently of their molecular implementation. This level of abstraction provides a structured approach to embrace developmental complexity, but can propose experimental tests to verify its key tenets. We conclude with a sketch of future research perspectives in emerging synthetic morphogenesis systems, which may serve as a platform to distill principles of developmental self-organization.