basic principles of default state and the intrinsic constraints gener-
ated by the epithelial cells. By identifying constraints to the default
state, multilevel biomechanical explanations become as legitimate
as the molecular ones on which other modelers rely. Expanding
research based on the premises of our theory of organisms will
enrich a comprehensive understanding of normal development
and of the one that goes awry.Acknowledgments
This work was conducted as part of the research project “Addres-
sing biological organization in the post-genomic era” which is
supported by the International Blaise Pascal Chairs, Region Ile de
France (AMS: Pascal Chair 2013). Additional support was provided
by Award Number R01ES08314 (P.I. AMS) from the U. S.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The funders
had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, deci-
sion to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors are
grateful to Cheryl Schaeberle for her critical input. The authors
have no competing financial interests to declare.References
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