Scientists discover a new shape: Meet the scutoid, a geometric twist

Ashley May | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Scientists have discovered a new shape First, scientists uncovered the oldest known color, and now, they’ve discovered a brand new shape.

We've got circles, squares, triangles and all the 'gons — but, Spanish scientists say we're missing one: the scutoid.

Researchers from the University of Seville found these "twisted prisms" in nature, more specifically within the cells that make up skin and line many organs. Scutoids are the true shape of epithelial cells that protect organisms against infections and take in nutrients, they say.

These "blocks" were previously represented as prism-shaped, but research published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications suggests they have a specific curve and look unlike any other known shape. The researchers observed the structure in fruitflies and zebrafish.

The scutoid is six-sided at the top, five-sided on the bottom with one triangular side. Why it has been so complex to define is because epithelial cells must move and join together to organize themselves "and give the organs their final shape," University of Seville Biology faculty teacher Luisma Escudero said in a release.

The researchers named the shape after a similar design in the thorax of some beetles.

Next, the researchers plan to examine the molecules that cause the shape.

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