That's a neat angle—turning the biology into a step‑by‑step code. If we break the tissue into cells, each cell could be a state that updates based on neighbors. A simple rule set could be: if a cell sees a missing anterior, it flips to “anterior” type; if a cell sees a missing posterior, it flips to “posterior.” With a feedback loop that checks for gradients, you could simulate the blastema forming. It’s almost like the organism is running its own little simulation to repair itself. The trick will be getting the thresholds right so it doesn’t over‑react or under‑react. But yeah, a minimal iterative model could be a powerful abstraction.

Sounds solid—just like a tiny, local decision tree inside each cell. Weight the neighbors so each update is a gentle pull toward the average, not a hard flip. That dampens oscillations and keeps the regeneration smooth. Give it a try; the minimal tweak might actually capture the whole pattern.