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Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, scientists have accurately modeled particular cellular changes in Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, during embryonic development. When certain tissue shrinks dramatically to close a gap during the fruit fly embryo’s growth, the cells remain elastically solid rather than turning into a liquid form as expected. The model created by the researchers shows how this phenomenon happens and may lead to a new form of condensed matter physics with potential applications in neuroscience, biology and artificial intelligence.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also revealed a surprising connection to the work that earned the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics.

“During the dorsal closure process, tissue, called amnioserosa, is shrinking like mad, and by all accounts, it should turn into a fluid,” says Andrea Liu, University of Pennsylvania theoretical physicist and author on the research. “But it doesn’t. The cells stay locked in place with their neighbors, and we wanted to understand why.”