bilateral symmetry


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symmetry

 [sim´ĕ-tre]
correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, or around an axis. adj., adj symmet´rical.
bilateral symmetry the configuration of an irregularly shaped body (such as the human body or that of higher animals) that can be divided by a longitudinal plane into halves that are mirror images of each other.
radial symmetry that in which the body parts are arranged regularly around a central axis.

bilateral symmetry

n.
Symmetrical arrangement, as of an organism or a body part, along a central axis, so that the body is divided into equivalent right and left halves by only one plane.

bilateral symmetry

Etymology: L, bis + latus, side; Gk, syn, together, metron, measure
similar structure of the halves of an organism.

bilateral symmetry

adjective Referring to a form divisible into equal mirror halves in one plane only—e.g., the right half of an organism mirrors the left.

bilateral symmetry

adjective Referring to a form divisible into equal mirror halves in one plane only

bilateral symmetry

an animal body structure in which there is a head and a rear with the body organs arranged so that a section through the midline from dorsal (upper) to ventral (lower) surfaces would divide the organism into almost identical right and left halves. Most higher invertebrates (e.g. PLATYHELMINTHS, ANNELIDS, ARTHROPODS) and all vertebrates are bilaterally symmetrical. Compare RADIAL SYMMETRY.

symmetry

correspondence in size, form and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, or around an axis. Often used to describe conformation.
bilateral symmetry
the configuration of an irregularly shaped body (such as the body of a higher animal) that can be divided by a longitudinal plane into halves that are mirror images of each other.
radial symmetry
that in which the body parts are arranged regularly around a central axis.
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References in periodicals archive ?
As deviations from bilateral symmetry increased, some abnormalities of developmental stability may appear on animals (Moller and Pomiankowski, 1993; Moller and Swaddle, 1997; Moller et al.
EFFECT OF STOCKING DENSITY ON DEVIATION FROM BILATERAL SYMMETRY AND SLAUGHTER WEIGHT IN BROILERS
Origins of radial symmetry identified in an echinoderm during adult development and the inferred axes of ancestral bilateral symmetry.
The bilaterally asymmetrical larval form of stomopneustes variolaris (Lamarck)
Plants and organic molecules do not invest in bilateral symmetry the way animals do, but they produce many phenomena of interest because of the possibility of enantiomorphic pairs--three-dimensional shapes like the left and right hand which are mirror images of each other but which cannot be rotated to fit in the same space as each other.
Life & left-handedness
Bilateral symmetry does make an axis visible, and axes are inherently hierarchical, but they are widespread in architecture and hardly to be avoided.
Architecture and political legitimation
Thus, bilateral symmetry (zygomorphy) becomes "monosymmetry," radial symmetry (actinomorphy) becomes "polysymmetry," and subtending bract becomes "pherophyll" (but when you look up pherophyll in the glossary, it says "see subtending bract").
Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers
Babies' bilateral symmetry and their opposable thumbs, for instance, are not cute.
The contingency of cuteness: a reply to Sanders
Nelson has manufactured a play from Rice's idea that has many of the qualities of life: complexity, animation, bilateral symmetry of plot.
Chess
The honeybee (Apis mellifera) detects bilateral symmetry and discriminates its axis.
Effects of floral symmetry on pollination in Bidens aristosa
less than or equal to] 1), image features also having bilateral symmetry will be enhanced.
Detection of reflection in Iris images using back propagation
It is thought that humans and other organisms have a strong evolutionary preference for the appearance of symmetry, and this means people who are considered attractive are often those who display a high degree of bilateral symmetry, reports io9.
Why people look more attractive to you after you've had a bit of booze!
The symmetry coefficients computed in this study were used to evaluate bilateral symmetry for joint angles, moments, and powers over the whole gait cycle.
The relation between mild leg-length inequality and able-bodied gait asymmetry
Double Cloak of Stars (all works 2009), with its bilateral symmetry, two head holes resembling "eyes," and arrays of painted feathers that double as tears, suggests a simplified face; the hanging garment is accompanied by two matching black hoods and a tall, carved walnut pole that leans against the wall.
Matthew Ronay: MARC FOXX GALLERY

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