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Does Form Shape Function?
From brain folds to insect architecture, L. Mahadevan explains how complex biological forms and behaviors emerge through the interplay of physical forces, environment and embodiment.
Mahadevan, or Maha to his friends and colleagues, has long been fascinated by questions one wouldn’t normally ask — from the equilibrium shape of inert objects like a Möbius strip, to the complex factors that drive biological systems like morphogenesis or social insect colonies. In this episode of The Joy of Why, Mahadevan tells co-host Steven Strogatz what inspires him to tackle these questions, and how gels, gypsum and LED lights can help uncover form and function in biological systems. However, Maha is interested in questions that you wouldn’t normally ask, like, what’s the equilibrium shape of a Möbius strip if it’s made of an elastic material, and you let it relax to its lowest energy, what would it look like?
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