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How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry
Micro decisions can have macro consequences. A soft matter physicist reveals how interactions within simple cellular collectives can lead to emergent physical traits.
Research by the microbiologist Lars Dietrich of Columbia University has shown that in biofilms just 50 micrometers deep — the equivalent of about 20 to 50 cells — oxygen levels plummet in the interior. “When we look at an animal, geometry is the first thing that comes to mind,” said Ming Guo, a mechanical engineer and biophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved in the research. Yunker decided to focus on what happens at a biofilm’s leading edge — the outer perimeter where cells most actively grow, divide and shape the emerging structure.
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