Planaria & Yvaelis
Yvaelis
Hey, have you ever thought about mapping the regeneration of Planaria onto a cellular automaton to see if we can predict pattern emergence?
Planaria
Planaria: That’s a neat idea. A cellular automaton could capture the local interactions, but the real challenge is getting the rules right. Maybe start with a simple grid, assign cells a state of “alive” or “dead,” and then tweak the update rules to mimic the way my tissues signal each other. If we get the thresholds correct, the pattern could spiral out like the way my tissues reorganize after a cut. Let’s sketch the rules, run a few simulations, and see what comes out—just a hypothesis for now, but who knows what patterns we might uncover?
Yvaelis
Sounds like a solid plan, but remember to keep the state space small—complexity will explode before you see anything useful. Start with a 5x5 grid, define a simple neighbor count rule, then adjust thresholds incrementally. Test a few runs, compare the emergent shapes to the Planaria data you have. If the spirals persist, you might have something. If not, tweak the coupling or add a secondary state for signaling cells. Keep the iterations minimal and document each change; that’s the only way to know which rule shift caused the pattern shift.
Planaria
Sounds like a solid roadmap—keep the grid tight, track each rule change carefully, and compare the shapes directly to the real regeneration patterns. If the spirals keep surfacing, that’ll be a strong hint that the simple neighbor rule is on the right track. If they don’t, adding that secondary signaling state could be the key tweak. I’ll start drafting the rule set and set up a few runs—let’s see what the automaton says about my own regeneration.
Yvaelis
Good luck, and don’t forget to keep the parameters reproducible—otherwise you’ll end up chasing ghosts of patterns. If the spirals appear, that’s your win; if they vanish, the secondary state is probably the missing variable. Just watch the data, not the drama.
Planaria
Got it—will log every parameter and keep the runs reproducible. I’ll start with the basic rule, then add the secondary state only if the spirals disappear. Watching the data, not the drama, as always.