The mechanics of crocodile head scales patterning

WHEN MECHANICS — INSTEAD OF GENE INTERACTIONS — DOMINATE DEVELOPMENT

Mammals, birds, and reptiles are readily recognized by their hairs, feathers, and scales, respectively. These diverse ‘skin appendages’ typically develop as genetically-controlled units, whose arrangement on the skin self-organises from interactions among gene products. A fascinating exception to this paradigm is the patterning of the scales on the face and jaws of crocodiles. Indeed, it has been suggested that these crocodile head scales develop from a mysterious mechanical process. In our new study published in the journal Nature, we solve this mystery by combining experimental manipulations of crocodile development, cutting-edge 3D microscopy, and state-of-the-art computer simulations. Overall, we demonstrate that crocodile head scales emerge through a purely mechanical compressive folding process that arises from the rapid growth of the skin relative to the underlying stiffer tissues. Remarkably, variation of embryonic skin growth and skin material properties explains how Evolution has produced a diversity of head-scale patterns among different crocodilian species.

Check out the original article and our website for additional information.
➡️ Article : https://rdcu.be/d3dnd // https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08268-1
➡️ Website : https://www.lanevol.org
➡️ A yet shorter summary movie is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD2pqEDLw4s

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➡️ Chinese : https://youtu.be/wh1LJgUB_fk
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➡️ French : https://youtu.be/7eSPgCm_60I
➡️ German : https://youtu.be/ouQvI8XR6iM
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Тэги:

#Crocodile_Development #Skin_Appendages #Mechanical_Processes_in_Biology #Evolutionary_Biology #3D_Microscopy #Embryonic_Development #Crocodilian_Species #Nature_Journal #Gene_Interactions #Mechanical_Folding #Skin_Growth #Biological_Patterns #Comparative_Anatomy #Animal_Morphology #Evolutionary_Mechanisms #Developmental_Biology #Crocodile_Scales #Research_Study #Biological_Diversity #Science_and_Nature

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