Topic: biological organization

L. Mahadevan investigates how geometry, mechanics and randomness connect form with function. With Steven Strogatz, he considers Möbius strips, brain folds, termite colonies and morphogenesis, showing how experiments with simple materials can illuminate biological organization and the role of noisy processes in geometric intuition.

Organisms sense light for purposes that range from recognizing objects to synchronizing activity with environmental cycles. What mechanisms serve these diverse tasks? This seminar will examine the specializations of two cell types. First are the foveal cone photoreceptors. These neurons are used by primates to see far greater detail than other mammals, which lack them. How do the biophysical properties of foveal cones support high-acuity vision? Second are the melanopsin retinal ganglion cells, which are conserved among mammals and essential for processes that include regulation of the circadi