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Tissue origami

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thumb_up 112 comment 1 2026 3 months ago
When cells grow together, they often align with their neighbors, forming liquid crystal–like patterns known as “nematic order.” But that order isn’t perfect, and at certain points, the alignment can break down, creating “topological defects”: small regions where cells swirl or fan out instead of lining up cleanly. And according to research published in Science, what looks like a defect can be used strategically as built-in instructions for shaping larger structures. Instead of growing upward, cells can store and release stress in certain places along a previously flat sheetlike structure, forming a bowl, a ridge, or a fold. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3RWrkD1 CREDITS: (FOOTAGE) GUILLAMAT ET AL./SCIENCE; (GRAPHICS) N. BURGESS/SCIENCE; (VIDEO PRODUCTION) K. MCLEAN/SCIENCE; (SCRIPT) M. CANTWELL/SCIENCE #MaterialsScience #Science #ScienceShorts