An effective medium theory is employed to derive a simple qualitative model of a pattern forming chemical reaction in a microemulsion. This spatially heterogeneous system is composed of water nanodroplets randomly distributed ...

Wave propagation in the heart has a discrete nature, because it is mediated by discrete intercellular connections via gap junctions. Although effects of discreteness on wave propagation have been studied for planar traveling ...

The cytoskeleton of the organism Physarum polycephalum is a prominent example of a complex active viscoelastic material wherein stresses induce flows along the organism as a result of the action of molecular motors and ...

The beating of the heart is a synchronized contraction of muscle cells (myocytes) that are triggered by a periodic sequence of electrical waves (action potentials) originating in the sino-atrial node and propagating over ...

Pattern formation often occurs in spatially extended physical, biological, and chemical systems due to an instability of the homogeneous steady state. The type of the instability usually prescribes the resulting spatio-temporal ...

Scroll waves are prominent patterns formed in three-dimensional excitable media, and they are frequently considered highly relevant for some types of cardiac arrhythmias. Experimentally, scroll wave dynamics is often studied ...