About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Distributed Sensory Networks in Protective Shells: Lessons from Chiton Aesthetes |
| Author(s) |
Chenhao Hu, Tanvi Deshmukh, Tom Delaplagne, Kira Schmitt, Daniel Baum, Ling Li |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Chenhao Hu |
| Abstract Scope |
Chitons possess thousands of innervated sensory organs, called aesthetes, embedded in their aragonite-based shell plates, forming a distributed sensory network (DSN). Yet, how individual sensory units are integrated and organized together as a functional DSN remains unclear. We investigate three representative DSN architectures across several selected chiton species: aesthete-only, eyespot, and shell-eye systems. Using X-ray tomography and advanced segmentation algorithms, we perform 3D network mapping, fractal analysis, and channel dimensional measurements to quantify the DSN architecture. We assess whether the DSN’s spatial organization follows Ramón y Cajal’s wiring economy principle in neural networks, which may enable minimal path lengths and reduced porosity. Such optimization could allow chitons to achieve both efficient sensory performance and mechanical protection. This study contributes to the elucidation of biological strategies for multifunctional materials that integrate mechanical protection with distributed sensing capabilities. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Biomaterials, Ceramics, Characterization |