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Updated: Sep 25, 2026

Analyzing Craniofacial Morphogenesis in Zebrafish Using 4D Confocal Microscopy
Published on: January 30, 2014
Abstract:
Elastic buckling has explained shape formation in growing tissues, yet the role of tissue fluidity remains elusive. We derive a minimal fluidized growth-elasticity model as a nonlinear analogue of Maxwell rheology. Analysis of a growing strip reveals a different picture of growth-induced morphogenesis: rather than emerging at a critical stress, symmetry breaking develops continuously during growth. Fluidity regulates stress evolution, the rate of shape-symmetry breaking, and flow patterns, establishing it as an active regulator of morphogenesis beyond its intuitive role in stress relaxation.
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