00:00 Animals come in all shapes and sizes, but also pretty much all patterns.
00:07 Those patterns might function as camouflage, aid in finding mates, or help them regulate
00:12 heat.
00:13 But now scientists may have figured out how they form.
00:15 The researchers liken the process to one you might see when a bit of ink diffuses in water.
00:20 The colors swirl and create somewhat of a pattern, but the difference is that a well-defined
00:23 design never emerges.
00:25 So the researchers employ the use of a computer simulation, specifically designed to mimic
00:29 a process called diffusiophoresis instead.
00:32 Diffusiophoresis is the spontaneous motion of colloidal particles, or molecules in a
00:37 fluid, rather than a fluid in a fluid or a solid in a fluid like other processes.
00:42 And when they conducted their experiments with these defined parameters, they noticed
00:45 that not only did patterns emerge, but they were well-defined, just like animal patterns
00:49 in nature.
00:50 But this isn't all just for curiosity's sake.
00:53 Researcher Ankh Gupta writes for The Conversation that skin patches could be produced that can
00:57 sense changes and diagnose medical conditions, or monitor a patient's health by detecting
01:01 changes in biochemical markers.
01:03 Adding that they believe this process may also play an underappreciated role in the
01:08 development of infants and tumors.
01:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:14 (upbeat music)
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