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Chirality

Chirality

Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

Chirality in Nature

Chirality in Nature

Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

Chirality is most prevalent in carbon-based tetrahedral compounds, but this important facet of molecular symmetry extends to sp3-hybridized nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur centers, including trivalent molecules with lone pairs. Here, the lone pair behaves as a functional group in addition to the other three substituents to form an analogous tetrahedral center that can be chiral.
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules that possess multiple chiral centers can afford a large number of stereoisomers. For instance, while some molecules like 2-butanol have one chiral center, defined as a tetrahedral carbon atom with four different substituents attached, several molecules like butane-2,3-diol have multiple chiral centers. A simple formula to predict the number of stereoisomers possible for a molecule with n chiral centers is 2n. However, there can be a lower number where some of the stereoisomers are...

Reaction Mechanisms

Reaction Mechanisms

Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion, involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs.
For instance, the decomposition of ozone appears to follow a mechanism with two steps:

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality

A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality

Published on: March 11, 2022

Pattern production through a chiral chasing mechanism.

Thomas E Woolley¹

¹Cardiff School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, Senghennydd Road, Cardiff, CF24 4AG Wales, United Kingdom.

Physical Review. E

|January 20, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Zebrafish skin patterns arise from interacting chromatophores. Introducing chiral movement to models reveals how cell behavior influences global pigmentation patterns.

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Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Mathematical modeling
Cellular dynamics

Background:

Zebrafish exhibit complex black and white striped skin patterns.
These patterns are formed by interacting chromatophore cells.
Previous models used integro-differential equations for nonlocal chasing mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To extend existing models of zebrafish pigmentation.
To incorporate experimentally observed chiral movement of chromatophores.
To investigate the influence of chirality on global pigmentation patterns.

Main Methods:

Developed a mathematical framework incorporating chiral cell movement.
Simplified the model using multiple small limits to derive partial differential equations.
Applied Fourier analysis to the resulting equations to derive dispersion relations.

Main Results:

Derived necessary conditions for pattern formation instability.
Identified new theoretical pattern planiforms.
Demonstrated that global pigmentation patterns depend on chromatophore chirality.

Conclusions:

Chiral movement is a crucial factor in zebrafish pigmentation patterns.
The extended mathematical model accurately reflects experimental observations.
This work provides a theoretical basis for understanding pattern development influenced by cell behavior.