The new shape is called “scutoid”, the geometry of the future will have a new chapter.
The skin is the largest organ in the human body. On average, you have 2 square meters of skin that is still growing steadily, but there is a surprise: it is not in the shape you think it is.
New geometric structure.
In fact, scientists have just discovered a completely new geometric structure , never discovered by science or math, and it turns out, it’s been hiding in your skin for so long, probably already existing. been there since the birth of mankind, unknown to anyone. It is located in epithelial cells – the foundation that makes up the tissue structure that makes up the human skin (both inside and out).
These epithelial cells are one of the most important cells in the early days of an individual’s development, helping us to build the embryonic structure and, gradually, becoming a part of our body. The epithelium is made up of millions of tiny cells lined up side by side that not only make up the outer skin but also connect the skin to the internal organs.
Scientists have never fully understood the shape of individual cells, only assuming that they are vertical prisms or truncated pyramids. But when they used computers to build 3D models of epithelial cells, they were surprised by their new discovery.
“During the rendering process, the results we saw were very anomalous,” explains bioengineer Javier Buceta from Lehigh University . “Our simulation model predicts that when tissue is curved, cells will not retain their prismatic or pyramidal shape.”
They noticed a strange shape, unable to recognize what it was.
It looks like a pyramid, but its base has six sides, the face opposite the bottom has 5 sides, that’s because in the lines connecting the two vertices of the bottom edges, there is a line that divides into a Y shape, creating a Y shape. create a small triangle on the body of this geometry and at the same time, create another top at a bottom. No scientific text describing this geometry exists yet.
It looks like a pyramid, but one base has six sides, and the face opposite the bottom has five sides.
“To our great surprise, this block doesn’t even have a name in math!” , Buceta said. “And not everyone has the rare opportunity to name a new geometric concept.”
The researchers called the figure a ” scutoid”, a reference to the “scutellum” – the shield-shaped scales on the bodies of some insects, whose body shapes also have a small triangle.
“Scutellum” – shield-shaped scales on the body of certain insects.
Why does this shape exist in my skin? The team says that this conical shape allows the structure to better conserve energy, especially when cells are bent . “When cells bend, it reduces the impact energy and, therefore, becomes more stable, ” said cell biologist Luisma Escudero from the University of Seville, one of the research team. Science Alert. “For that reason, the biophysical data in our bodies dictate that those cells must be scutoid-shaped.”
Once scientists have built the scutoid, they will try to find the shape in nature. Since all animals have epithelial cells, the team thought that identifying the scutoid shape would be a turning point in the way we study epithelial cells.
More research is needed to determine how many levels of scutoid cuboids are found in organisms (including humans), thereby helping to understand more about the polymorphisms in human organs.
“For example, if you want to create artificial organs, this discovery will help you create more lifelike cells, just like how nature makes cells, tissues,” said the researcher. Buceta said. “We have unlocked the natural way of creating epithelium that can be effectively bent and twisted.”
The study was published in Nature.