Scientists have identified new shape called scutoid while studying epithelial cells. Epithelial tissue is one of four kinds of tissue that forms human body and which acts as a safety shield of the body that make up the cell walls lining in our blood vessels and organs.
a. Rhomboid
b. Scutoidc. Cuboid
d. None of the above
- Scutoid shape has five sides on one end and six on the other and a triangular surface on one of its longer edges.
- It is completely new to geometry and resembles beetle’s scutellum (shield-like structure) from top-down view.
How did scientists discover this?
- Scientists had used computer modeling and imaging to identify this shape.
- It had produced strange, prism-like shape, one with six sides on one end, five on other, and strange triangular protrusion coming out of one of the sides.
- Scientists had used microcopy and computer imaging to supplement findings of computer modeling by taking an up-close look at the epithelial tissues of fruit flies and zebrafish.
- As predicted, they discovered the scutoid shape.
What is the significance of this discovery?
- As tissues and organs develop, epithelial cells squish together, twisting and turning into highly efficient and complex 3-D structures of scutoid shape that help block microbes from entering our skin or organs.
- It also makes the packing stable and "energetically efficient".
- The discovery of scutoid shape will help to explain how cells arrange themselves in tightly packed three-dimensional (3D) structures that serve as protective barriers in body.
- It will contribute to the field of tissue engineering, specifically in the development of artificial organs.
- It will be useful in other fields beyond biology, such as mathematics and engineering.
Question:
Q. Scientists have identified which new shape while studying epithelial cells?a. Rhomboid
b. Scutoidc. Cuboid
d. None of the above
