The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells (Virtual Laboratory) [Hardcover]

Hans Meinhardt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0387578420 | ISBN-13: 978-0387578422 | Publication Date: December 1995 | Edition: Bk&Disk

Mathematical models and advanced computer-generated images are used to explain and illustrate structural growth patterns of seashells in nature. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book conveys the intuitive appeal and the "touch of magic" that accompany the current research. A diskette, packaged with the book, contains the algorithms and simulations necessary to replicate the results. 150 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review of the 4th edition: It is a strikingly beautiful book, with more than a hundred color illustrations of patterns on mollusk shells, side by side with the computer simulations that reproduce them. This bestiary of pattern formation includes stripes (straight or produced by traveling waves), dots, drops, triangles, and meshwork combined in any imaginable way. It is truly remarkable that this diversity of patterns seems to have arisen in the absence of any selective pressure, as the animals that express them spend their lives buried in mud or sand. Thus, these patterns are in essence a manifestation of Nature at play. Meinhardt has a great knack for explaining pattern-forming mechanisms in a non-technical way. In the first few chapters of his book he introduces us to the basic elements of his model in accessible and vivid terms. He shows how local non-linear self-activation combined with a rapidly diffusible repressor (or limiting substrate) leads to the formation of dots and stripes from homogeneous initial conditions, a phenomenon first described by Turing in 1952 as diffusion-driven instability. He then goes on to explain how oscillating patterns and traveling waves can be produced by the same basic model with different decay and diffusion rates. Here, the author and the book are at their best. Johannes Jaeger in: Bioessays 32: 638–640, 2010 WILEY Periodicals, Inc., DOI 10.1002/bies.201000031 From the reviews of the third edition:This is a serious volume on the mathematical modeling of sea shell patterns. … This volume takes a rigorous approach, progressing systematically … . It would make a great text for either a course at the upper undergraduate or graduate level in mathematics or biology designed around it. It would also be a good supplemental text for a course in dynamical systems, differential equations … . It has left me with a new appreciation, wonder and curiosity about the myriad patterns on shells … ." (Amy Shell-Gellasch, MAA online, January, 2005) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

The patterns on the shells of tropical sea snails are not only compellingly beautiful but also tell a tale of biological development. The decorative patterns are records of their own genesis, which follows laws like those of dune formation or the spread of a flu epidemic. Hans Meinhardt has analyzed the dynamical processes that form these patterns and retraced them faithfully in computer simulations. His book is exciting not only for the astonishing scientific knowledge it reveals but also for its fascinating pictures. Many of the simulations are supplied on the accompanying CD-ROM in HTML format. Thus, the highly dynamic behavior of the interactions on which shell patterning is based can be inspected like conventional websites with any browser, also on a Macintosh or Linux system. The animations are given as separate files that also can be integrated, e.g., into a PowerPoint presentation if desired. Also included are animated simulations of models that describe more general problems in the development of higher organisms, e.g., formation of organizing regions, pattern formation in hydra, gene activation, formation of net-like structures, and chemotactic orientation. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag; Bk&Disk edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387578420
• ISBN-13: 978-0387578422
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,474,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very thought provoking and visually stimulating, July 26, 2000

By 

Writing Chemistry (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells (The Virtual Laboratory) (Hardcover)

I came across this book at the Rhode Island School of Design library. As an artist I found it surprising that what I had considered to be just a beautiful pattern was actually an imprint of the pressure and movement of the waves upon the seashell. This insight was very thought provoking for me. Perhaps to biologists this is a normal and natural thing - but for an artist this kind of scientific approach with beautifully illustrated pages is a deeply moving experience. This book will definitely make you think twice about the objects that you take for granted - whether it's visually or scientifically. I strongly recommend this book for those who like intellectual challenges and who like to look at the world with fresh new eyes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading, January 4, 2006

By 

G. KOKTSIDIS (Thessalonica, Greece) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells (Hardcover)

I've been collecting shells for many years but i never thought of the complexity and perfection of their patterns! This book describes in a simple way the mechanisms that produce the surface decorations of shells. It takes reader in a fascinating trip in a world of algorithmic shapes and colors!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sea Shell Math, June 2, 2002

By 

David Bartlett (Cumberland, Rhode Island United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells (Virtual Laboratory) (Hardcover)

This book describes, using a computer, The geometry involved in the building of seashells and in particular the surface features. It shows the how and why of surface decorations found on several species of Mollusks. This is probably the only book to treat this subject and do so extensively expertly and comprahensively.