Mechano-devo

In "On growth and form", D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1917) stresses the inevitable interactions between physics and developmental biology. With the recent progress in molecular genetics, live imaging, micromechanics and modeling, the study of morphogenesis has been rejuvenated in the present century: the activity of developmental genes can be interpreted in terms of mechanical properties to dissect the chain of events behind shape changes; in turn, patterns of shape- and growth-derived mechanical stress are calculated and shown to act as signals controlling cell effectors, in synergy with biochemical cues, thereby channeling morphogenesis. In short, the relation between the mechanics and the biochemistry of shape changes is now addressed more comprehensively. Beyond the legacy left by this unique, elegant, and thought provoking analysis of development, D'Arcy rooted a new field, that one could call "mechano-devo", and used didactic analogies to bridge biology and physics. Here are some subjective take home messages from this seminal book, for the developmental biologist interested in conducting such interdisciplinary research.