Science Narratives

Reaction-Diffusion Coral

Dendritic branching patterns from the Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion model — coral-like arborescences grown from algorithmic morphogenesis.

Coral reefs are among the oldest and most complex ecosystems on Earth, yet their branching structures arise from surprisingly simple physical rules. This print translates the Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion model into the language of marine morphogenesis. The parameters here favour tip-splitting and dendritic growth—the same instabilities that generate coral-like arborescences in simulation and, by extension, in living reef systems. Each layer isolates a different chemical field or time slice, allowing the plotter to render the process as a stack of transparent maps. The result resembles a cross-section of a growing colony: delicate filaments reach outward, branch, and fill space with fractal efficiency. By mapping a coral's growth onto reaction-diffusion dynamics, this piece bridges computational biology and generative art.

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