scutoid

The object was first described by Gómez-Gálvez et al. in a paper entitled Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia, and published in July 2018. Officially, 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 subfamily Cetoniinae. Unofficially, Clara Grima has stated that while working on the project, the shape was temporarily called an Escu-toid as a joke after the biology group leader Luis M. Escudero.{{sfn|Parker|2018}}{{cite web |title= Supplementary Movie |website= static-content.springer.com |type= |series= from {{harvnb|Gómez-Gálvez|Vicente-Munuera|Tagua|Forja|2018|loc=Electronic supplementary material}} |url= https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-018-05376-1/MediaObjects/41467_2018_5376_MOESM3_ESM.avi |access-date= Nov 27, 2024 }} Since his last name, "Escudero", means "squire" (from Latin scutarius = shield-bearer), the temporary name was modified slightly to become "scutoid".

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| quote = "The shape, however odd, is a building block of multicellular organisms; complex life might never have emerged on Earth without it."

|author = Alan Burdick

|source = We Are All Scutoids: A Brand New Shape, Explained

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Epithelial cells adopt the "scutoidal shape" under certain circumstances. In epithelia, cells can 3D-pack as scutoids, facilitating tissue curvature. This is fundamental to the shaping of the organs during development.{{Cite news |last= Boddy |first= Jessica |date= 2018-07-27 |title= The 'Scutoid' Is Geometry's Newest Shape, and It Could Be All Over Your Body |work= Gizmodo |language= en-US |url= https://gizmodo.com/the-scutoid-is-geometrys-newest-shape-and-it-could-be-1827924643 |access-date= 2024-11-27 }}{{Cite news |last= Georgiou |first= Aristos |title= Scientists have discovered a brand-new three-dimensional shape|date=2018-07-27 |work= Newsweek |language= en |url= https://www.newsweek.com/scutoid-scientists-discover-entirely-new-shape-and-its-been-hiding-inside-1045097 |access-date= 2024-11-27 }}

"Scutoid is a prismatoid to which one extra mid-level vertex has been added. This extra vertex forces some of the "faces" of the resulting object to curve. This means that Scutoids are not polyhedra, because not all of their faces are planar. ... For the computational biologists who created/discovered the Scutoid, the key property of the shape is that it can combine with itself and other geometric objects like frustums to create 3D packings of epithelial cells."
- Laura Taalman{{Cite tweet |number=1023371252663312385 |first= Laura |last= Taalman |author-link= Laura Taalman |user= mathgrrl |title= Have you read the @Nature article introducing the new mathematical shape called the SCUTOID? This cutting-edge science is now 3D printable: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3024272 |date= 28 July 2018 |access-date= Nov 27, 2024 }}{{Cite web |last= Taalman |first= Laura |author-link= Laura Taalman |date= July 29, 2018 |title= Pair of Packable Scutoids |website= mathgrrl.com |url= https://mathgrrl.com/hacktastic/2018/07/pairs-of-packable-scutoids/ |access-date= 2024-11-27 }}

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| image1 = Heteroptera morphology-d.svg

| caption1 = Scutellum on heteropteran (no. 26)

| image2 = Protaetia-cuprea-ignicollis-IZE-257.jpg

| caption2 = A beetle with a scutellum, for which the shape was officially named.

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Cells in the developing lung epithelium have been found to have more complex shapes than the term "scutoid", inspired by the simple scutellum of beetles, suggests.{{Cite journal |last1=Gómez |first1=Harold F. |last2=Dumond |first2=Mathilde |last3=Hodel |first3=Leonie |last4=Vetter |first4=Roman |last5=Iber |first5=Dagmar |date=2021-10-05 |title=3D cell neighbour dynamics in growing pseudostratified epithelia |journal=eLife |language=En |volume=10 |pages=e68135 |doi=10.7554/eLife.68135 |pmid=34609280 |pmc=8570695 |doi-access=free }} When "scutoids" exhibit multiple Y-shaped connections or vertices along their axis, they have therefore been called "punakoids" instead,{{Cite journal |last1=Iber |first1=Dagmar |last2=Vetter |first2=Roman |date=2022-05-12 |title=3D Organisation of Cells in Pseudostratified Epithelia |journal=Frontiers in Physics |language=En |volume=10 |pages=898160 |doi=10.3389/fphy.2022.898160 |bibcode=2022FrP....10.8160I |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11850/547113 |hdl-access=free }} as their shape is more reminiscent of the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, New Zealand.

The scutoid explains how epithelial cells (the cells that line and protect organs such as the skin) efficiently pack in three dimensions. As epithelial tissue bends or grows, the cells have to take on new shapes to pack together using the least amount of energy possible, and until the scutoid's discovery, it was assumed that epithelial cells packed in mostly frustums, as well as other prism-like shapes. Now, with the knowledge of how epithelial cells pack, it opens up many new possibilities in terms of artificial organs. The scutoid may be applied to making better artificial organs, allowing for things like effective organ replacements, recognizing whether a person's cells are packing correctly or not, and ways to fix that problem.{{harvnb|Parker |2018}}

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• {{cite web |last1= Parker |first1= Matt |author1-link= Matt Parker |date= 3 August 2018 |title= The scutoid: did scientists discover a new shape? |website= youtube.com |series= Stand-up Maths |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_NZ1ql8B8Y |access-date= Nov 27, 2024 }}
• {{cite web |last1= M |first1= Katie |date= 2018 |title= Model of a scutoid |website= youtube.com |series= according to {{harvnb|Burdick|2018}}, this video was the first one online after the publication of the original paper ({{harvnb|Gómez-Gálvez|Vicente-Munuera|Tagua|Forja|2018}}) |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaCgi4rw-ns |access-date= Nov 27, 2024 }}

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Category:Volume

Category:Epithelium