Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology

Dr. Denis Headon, University of Edinburgh

Abstract: Periodic patterns are present in the skin of most vertebrates. Their formation is readily mimicked by Turing reaction-diffusion processes. I will discuss the mechanistic basis for the origins of feather, hair and fingerprint patterns in avian and mammalian skin, focussing on:

• the evidence for the action of Turing mechanisms in their formation
• what we know of the specific molecules and processes acting in these mechanisms and their interactions
• the importance of how these systems are deployed the whole field level in shaping the final pattern configuration

Bio: I am an experimental biologist with an interest in how external traits develop and how they tend to vary. I received my PhD from Baylor College of Medicine and am a professor at the Roslin Institute, which is part of the University of Edinburgh.