Ice patterns look like neurons: arXiv paper shows why a dendrite is more than a motif
JosephJacks_ · x · 2026-11-06
Pond ice often forms branching shapes strikingly similar to neurons. A new arXiv paper by Nima Dehghani (q-bio) formalizes the resemblance: ice neurons, diffusion-limited aggregates and biological neurons can share branching statistics via a common growth instability, yet only biological neurons carry internal state and a self-generated field. Using a FitzHugh–Nagumo interface model with gain γ, the author shows γ=0 decouples morphology from dynamics (Mullins–Sekerka band plus damped oscillator), while finite gain reshapes the spectrum and lets 'field closure' boost distal signal persistence without changing geometry — the functional difference between a real dendrite and a mere branching motif.
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