Reaction-Diffusion Studio

Paint life into chemistry — watch Turing patterns bloom in real time.

Tip: drag on the canvas to seed chemical V and grow patterns.
Presets
Feed (f)0.0545
Kill (k)0.0620
Brush size8
Speed (substeps)8

How it works

Two virtual chemicals U and V diffuse and react on a grid via the Gray-Scott model. Each cell updates with a 9-point Laplacian and an Euler step; multiple substeps run per frame. Typed arrays plus ping-pong double buffering keep it smooth at 60fps.

Why it matters

Alan Turing proposed in 1952 that simple diffusing chemicals could explain animal coats, leaf venation and shell patterns. The same maths models heart arrhythmia, ecology and crystal growth — emergence from two numbers.

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