Twelve self-replicating chemical patterns

This image is part of the feature Patterns In Nature

Credit: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Caption: Self-replicating chemical patterns. Series of 12 computer-modelled chemical patterns: spirals (top left), self-replicating dots (middle centre), parallel stripes (lower right). Such chemical processes may govern the patterns seen in nature, from snowflakes to leopard spots. This model was developed by Dr John Pearson at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, to establish patterns created by chemical "reaction-diffusion" systems. In simulation of an iodate-ferrocyanide-Isulfite chemical which is diffused through a gel, intricate self-replicating patterns are created. Pearson identified these twelve distinct patterns.

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Keywords: chemical, chemical pattern types, chemical patterns, chemistry, pattern, pearson, reaction, replication, self-replication, turing

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