MadSci Network: Development |
The cells which give mammals their pigment patterns are generated only several days after fertilization. These cells arise from a region called the neural crest. The neural crest is the most dorsal part of the neural tube - the tissue that eventually forms your spinal cord. These cells leave the neural crest and migrate throughout the body to the skin, where they can produce pigment. There are several different kinds of pigment cells, each of which makes a different color pigment. Different patterns, like stripes and spots are the result of these pigment cells "talking" to one another and their neighboring cells. As a result of the pigment cells talking, they know how to organize themselves to create the appropriate pattern. A very interesting question is how the cells are communicating. Many scientists are currently studying this question, and there are no complete answers yet. I am not familiar with the radio broadcast you referred to, but I am certainly interested! Mathematics and physics are the foundation of any biological phenomonon, and they certainly are relevant in the issue of pigment pattern formation. Another method scientist use in this question is to identify genes that are important in pattern formation. Indeed, a number of such genes have been found. This is important, because any mathematical or physical explanation of pigment pattern formation will have to explain HOW the cells communicate, and we know they are communicating via proteins. So understanding the genes that code for the proteins important in this cellular communication will be essential to any mathematical model explaining it. Math can explain many things, but one has to know what the units and variables are. So there is no complete answer yet, but hopefully this will change within the next few years. Stay tuned!
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