Scutoid
A scutoid is a geometric solid between two parallel surfaces. The boundary of each of the surfaces (and of all the other parallel surfaces between them) is a polygon, and the vertices of the two end polygons are joined by either by a curve or a Y-shaped connection. Scutoids present at least one vertex between these two planes. The faces of the scutoids are not necessarily convex, so several scutoids can pack together to fill all the space between the two parallel surfaces.[1][2] The object was first described in Nature Communications in July 2018, and the name scutoid was coined because of its resemblance to the shape of the scutum and scutellum in some insects, such as beetles in the Cetoniidae subfamily.[1]
Appearance in nature
The shape, however odd, is a building block of multicellular organisms; complex life might never have emerged on Earth without it.
— Alan Burdick, We Are All Scutoids: A Brand New Shape, Explained
Epithelial cells adopt the "scutoidal shape" under certain circumstances.[1] In epithelia, cells can 3D-pack as scutoids, facilitating tissue curvature. This is fundamental to shape the organs during development.[1][3][4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Gómez-Gálvez, Pedro; Vicente-Munuera, Pablo; Tagua, Antonio; Forja, Cristina; Castro, Ana M.; Letrán, Marta; Valencia-Expósito, Andrea; Grima, Clara; Bermúdez-Gallardo, Marina (2018-07-27). "Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia". Nature Communications. 9 (1). doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05376-1. ISSN 2041-1723. Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia 27 July 2018 PDF
- ^ "We Are All Scutoids".
- ^ Boddy, Jessica. "The 'Scutoid' Is Geometry's Newest Shape, and It Could Be All Over Your Body". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^ "Scientists have discovered a brand-new three-dimensional shape". Newsweek. 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
 | This polyhedron-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |