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Branching Tubes
28 January 2014

Branching Tubes

Most of our internal organs – including our liver, lungs, kidneys and blood vessels – are made up of branching networks of tubes. But while some researchers are studying the growth of this delicate plumbing in animals in the lab, such as mice, others are turning to virtual models ‘grown’ in the computer. Like many other structures in nature, the branching pipework of the lungs is built according to mathematical rules. And if there are rules, then it should be possible to recreate the process with a computer programme. Pictured is a computer-generated model of a growing lung tube at three different stages, with the red blobs representing high levels of a molecular ‘signal’ that tells a branch to sprout. This tube is growing fast, creating waves of signal blobs that will give rise to many branches, creating the tree-like structure of the lungs.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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