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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Line Shape Analysis of Dynamic NMR Spectra for Characterizing Coordination Sphere Rearrangements at a Chiral Rhenium Polyhydride Complex
Published on: July 27, 2022
Hydra molecular network reaches criticality at the symmetry-breaking axis-defining moment
Jordi Soriano1, Cyril Colombo, Albrecht Ott
1Experimentalphysik I, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Abstract:
We study biological, multicellular symmetry breaking on a hollow cell sphere as it occurs during hydra regeneration from a random cell aggregate. We show that even a weak temperature gradient directs the axis of the regenerating animal--but only if it is applied during the symmetry-breaking moment. We observe that the spatial distribution of the early expressed, head-specific gene ks1 has become scale-free and fractal at that point. We suggest the self-organized critical state to reflect long range signaling, which is required for axis definition and arises from cell next-neighbor communication.
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