ReviewThe physics of development 100Â years after D'Arcy Thompson's “On Growth and Form”

- D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form has had a profound influence on generations of developmental biologists.
- Demonstrated how mathematics provides elegant, simple explanations for complex biological processes.
- The influence can be traced through the twentieth century to current research on mechanisms of tissue growth and patterning.
- Our own studies of the vertebrate neural tube have been influence by On Growth and Form.

By applying methods and principles from the physical sciences to biological problems, D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form demonstrated how mathematical reasoning reveals elegant, simple explanations for seemingly complex processes. This has had a profound influence on subsequent generations of developmental biologists. We discuss how this influence can be traced through twentieth century morphologists, embryologists and theoreticians to current research that explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms of tissue growth and patterning, including our own studies of the vertebrate neural tube.