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Science 1 December 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5804, p. 1349
DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5804.1349h
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This Week in Science

More than 50 years ago, Alan Turing provided a theoretical explanation of biological pattern formation through a hypothesis of reaction-diffusion, whereby patterns, such as that for hair follicles or feather distribution, can form as a result of positive and negative feedback regulation of an inhibitor and activator. Turing models have since been used to account for patterns in many chemical systems, but have not been successful in explaining biological pattering in developmental model systems such as the fly. Sick et al. (p. 1447, published online 2 November; see the Perspective by Maini et al.) have now examined hair follicle arrangements in mice that arise through the WNT activator protein and its inhibitor DKK and show through computation modeling that reaction-diffusion can account for the patterning observed.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)