A recent study has shed light on the intriguing process by which leopards develop their characteristic spots, a phenomenon that occurs approximately ten days after birth. This research builds upon earlier work by British mathematician Alan Turing, whose theories in the 1950s addressed the formation of patterns in nature.
Led by Dr. Ankur Gupta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, the team refined Turing”s original theory regarding the chemical processes that lead to the emergence of animal patterns. Their findings, published in the journal Matter, reveal that a new mechanism called “diffusiopherosis” plays a crucial role in creating the irregular spots seen on leopards and other animals.
Turing had previously theorized that as tissue develops, it generates chemical agents that diffuse through the system, similar to how milk disperses in coffee. This diffusion activates pigment-producing cells, resulting in the formation of spots, while other chemicals inhibit these cells, leaving blank spaces. However, Turing”s model produced spots that were less defined than those observed in nature.
In their 2023 study, Dr. Gupta and his colleagues introduced the concept of diffusiopherosis, which describes how diffusing particles can pull other particles with them. Dr. Gupta likened this to the process of soap washing clothes, where the soap drags dirt out of the fabric. Their simulations of patterns, including the hexagonal shapes found on the ornate boxfish, demonstrated that this new mechanism could generate sharper and more defined patterns than Turing”s original theory.
Despite these advancements, the initial simulations resulted in patterns that appeared too uniform, lacking the imperfections typical of natural designs. For instance, zebra stripes vary in thickness, and the hexagons on boxfish are not perfectly alike. To address this, Dr. Gupta”s team adjusted the model by assigning individual sizes to the cells and simulating their movement through tissue, ultimately producing more realistic patterns with irregularities.
Dr. Gupta explained that clustering larger cells tends to create broader patterns, which allowed their simulations to display breaks and textures that closely resemble those found in nature. He aims to enhance their model further by incorporating more complex interactions among cells and the surrounding chemicals.
The implications of this research extend beyond understanding animal patterns. The insights gained could inspire the development of synthetic materials that change color in response to environmental factors, similar to a chameleon”s skin. Dr. Gupta believes this could also pave the way for innovative methods in targeted drug delivery within the body. “We are drawing inspiration from the imperfect beauty of natural systems and hope to harness these imperfections for new forms of functionality in the future,” he noted.
