Organic self-organization: tissue symmetry breaking through the irreducible coupling of cell and supracellular structures

Date

Feb 23, 2026

Time

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Speaker

Alan Rodrigues

Affiliation

The Rockefeller University, NY, Laboratory of Morphogenesis

Series

Physics of Life Seminar

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Elías Barriga

Description

We are pleased to announce a new PoL Seminar by Alan Rodrigues from The Rockefeller University, NY, Laboratory of Morphogenesis.

When?  Monday, 23. February 2026, 11:00 am
Where? BCUBE, E 73-E75

Abstract:

The use of the term ‘self-organization’ in the context of developmental biology has increased markedly in the last decade, reflecting a growing recognition that frameworks relying solely on codes or blueprints that “program” or puppeteer collective cell behavior have natural limits in capturing the full complexity and robustness of developmental processes. Our recent experimental work focusing on the emergence of patterns of adjacent cartilage and soft tissue from a field of limb progenitors has revealed the conceptual need to elaborate and clarify the particular ways organic systems self-organize that may be fundamentally distinct from physical self-organization. Physical self-organization, borrowing from studies of non-living systems, focuses on the local interaction of components that lead to higher-order patterns. In contrast, “organic” self-organization involves reciprocal or mutually constituting causal interactions between the parts (cell) and the whole (supracellular structure). This particular form of reciprocity between levels of organization provides an explanation for how tissues gain complexity that does not rely on established frameworks such as graded molecular control by secreted signals (e.g. morphogens).

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A biography of Alan can be found here:https://www.rockefeller.edu/our-scientists/research-affiliates/13112-alan-rodrigues/

Publications:https://shyerrodrigueslab.com/publications/

Most recent relevant paper:https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.24.683925v1

Everybody is very welcome. Don’t miss a great opportunity to join the seminar!

Please note: This seminar is going to take place in person at BCUBE (Seminar room E75-E73) and will not be streamed via Zoom.

Links

• See this event on the Physics of Life website

Last modified: Feb 20, 2026, 7:35:44 AM