Jam Starts

Patterns guide our earliest moments. Cells fill developing tissues and organs in specific arrangements – and understanding these hidden rules brings hope for repair later in life. Looking for patterns in the developing brain, scientists turned to the flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea, which conveniently regrows its entire head after decapitation. After staining its different types of neuron in different colours, they watch under a high-powered microscope as stripy patterns emerge in the new brain tissue, where identical cells settle close to, but not next to each other. Mathematical models suggest cellular 'jamming' moves cells into mixed groups as they cram into the tissue, helping to explain the diverse connections found in the brain and other tissues. Model simulations in this simpler brain can help make predictions about how human tissues develop and repair too –perhaps one day guiding tissue engineers in matching lab-grown patterns of stem cells with injured bodies.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

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A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from the Wang Lab, Stanford University
• Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature Physics, March 2020