A 3D model of a 407-million-year-old plant fossil has overturned thinking on the evolution of leaves. The research has also led to fresh insights about spectacular patterns found in plants. The ...

The seeds of a sunflower, the spines of a cactus, and the bracts of a pinecone all form whirling spiral patterns. Remarkable for their regularity and beauty, these natural structures also show some ...

What do pine cones and paintings have in common? A 13th century Italian mathematician named Leonardo of Pisa. Better known by his pen name, Fibonacci, he came up with a number sequence that keeps ...

A Fibonacci sequence goes like this: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and 89. Each successive number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. So 1+1 =2 and 1+2=3 and 2+3=5. The scales on a pinecone, ...

Trying variants of a simple mathematical rule that yields interesting results can lead to additional discoveries and curiosities. The numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and 55 belong to a famous ...