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Content archived on 2024-05-24

Dynamics and Morphogenesis of Branching Structures, from Cells to River Networks

Objective

While the study of morphogenesis has a long and fascinating history, pattern formation of complex structures has received a deeper attention in the last twenty years. In many fields, including developmental biology, out-of-equilibrium physics and differential geometry, concepts and models have been put forward that pave the way to a description of the mechanisms of morphogenesis. Among the possible structures that arise spontaneously in nature, there exist different classes. The class of branching structures is ubiquitous, and one of the most general. It is found at all scales, from molecular dendromeres to river bassins, and it incorporates such important and diverse structures as glands, vascular networks or neurons in the biological realm, and dendrites, cracks or dielectric sparks in physics.

While all these systems may seem to belong to different worlds, it appears from closer inspection that similar if not identical concepts have been elaborated independently by different communities in order to describe or model their growth. Recent important progress in the different fields evoked above makes it useful to gather scientists of the different communities, in order to give a synthetical and up-to-date knowledge of the present scientific state of these questions. The summer school of Les Houches, with its long outstanding tradition for supporting new emerging fields is an excellent place to give an impulse to the field of branching morphogenesis. Specialized courses, on Neurons, Vascular systems, Gland growth, Dendritic growth, Mathematical and Physical models and Geology will be given at a high scientific level but with a special attention towards different communities, which are not expert in these fields. Also, more general courses will give an overview of why and how branching patterns emerge, and of the special role of microscopic phenomena. A short session on the fossil record of branching patterns will also be organized, in order to shed light on when and at what pace branches did first appear and evolve in the biological realm.
ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/improving/docs/HPCF-1999-00005-1.pdf(opens in new window)

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ACM - Preparatory, accompanying and support measures

Coordinator

Type of Event: Euro Summer School
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Address
This event takes place in Les Houches

France

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