What are the relations between the shape of a system of cities and that of fish school? Which events should happen in a cell in order that it participates to one of the finger of our hands? How to interpret the shape of a sand dune? This collective book written for the non-specialist addresses these questions and more generally, the fundamental issue of the emergence of forms and patterns in physical and living systems. It is a single book gathering the different aspects of morphogenesis and approaches developed in different disciplines on shape and pattern formation. Relying on the seminal works of D’Arcy Thompson, Alan Turing and René Thom, it confronts major examples like plant growth and shape, intra-cellular organization, evolution of living forms or motifs generated by crystals. A book essential to understand universal principles at work in the shapes and patterns surrounding us but also to avoid spurious analogies.
Morphogenesis Paul Bourgine · Annick Lesne Editors Morphogenesis Origins of Patterns and Shapes 123 Editors Dr. Paul Bourgine CREA École Polytechnique Rue Descartes 1 75005 Paris France
[email protected] Dr. Annick Lesne CNRS Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de la Matière Condensée (LPTMC) Université Paris VI place Jussieu 4 75252 Paris Cedex 05 France
[email protected] c 2006 Editions Belin, France Translation from the French language edition of Morphogenése ISBN 978-3-642-13173-8 e-ISBN 978-3-642-13174-5 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-13174-5 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2010936323 c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: eStudio Calamar S.L., Heidelberg Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface This book has been first published in French by Belin in 2006. It originates in an interdisciplinary Spring School devoted to morphogenesis and held in Berder Island (Morbihan, France) in March 2002. Although the topics were not directly focused on morphogenesis, we should also mention the ensuing annual sessions of this Berder CNRS Thematic School, organized by one of the editor of the book (A. L.), where most of the authors of the book met and interacted. This initial event has been followed by two 1-day meetings, “Journées Complexité” that we organized in Paris at the Institut Henri Poincaré in November 2003 and November 2004, and again specially devoted to morphogenesis and the specific interdisciplinary approaches required to reach a full understanding. These meetings have been among the launching events founding the Institut des Systèmes Complexes de Paris-Ile-de-France. Several o