Geometries emerging from decentralized construction in nature
Presenter
April 9, 2025
Event: Geometry of Materials
Abstract
Biological systems generate a diverse array of filamentous structures through processes such as secretion, aggregation, self-assembly, and the organization of polymer chains into structured configurations. Examples include collagen fibrils and elastin fibers in the extracellular matrix of multicellular organisms, as well as actin filaments in the cell cytoskeleton. However, not all biologically constructed structures rely solely on self-assembly. Some organisms actively extrude, deposit, and arrange fibers to create functional architectures, as seen in spider webs and silkworm cocoons. At an even higher level of complexity, superorganisms—collective groups of many individual organisms—engage in extrusion-based construction that is both active and collective. Social caterpillars and social spiders, for example, weave colony nests that conform to the unique geometry of their environment, often by following simple local rules. Despite the absence of a global blueprint, these organisms construct remarkably robust structures that dynamically adapt to environmental constraints. Inspired by this phenomenon, we investigate how minimal geometric rules can give rise to emergent network architectures. In this talk, I will discuss the motivation behind this approach and present results demonstrating that a single geometric rule—connecting points within a fixed local range— can consistently generate structured networks across a variety boundary conditions.