Development builds... But it also breaks!
Planarians split to reproduce. Hydra tears open a mouth. Embryos fracture to make cavities.
Failure? No. Fracture is essential to development.
Our new review on fracture physics and its uses in development:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Summary: This Review presents mechanical fracture as a unifying morphogenetic strategy and describes how developmental systems actively exploit mechanical fracture to drive morphogenesis, reproduction...
Our latest with @torres-sanchez.bsky.social journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...
Breaking isn’t always a bad thing! Think of birth, seed release...
We highlight how living tissue not only tolerates fractures but actively fracture to grow, shape, reproduce, or adapt – across species and scales.
journals.biologists.com
Summary: This Review presents mechanical fracture as a unifying morphogenetic strategy and describes how developmental systems actively exploit mechanical fracture to drive morphogenesis, reproduction...
