patterns

The mechanism behind leopard spots and zebra stripes also appears to explain the patterned growth of a bismuth crystal, extending Alan Turing’s 1952 idea to the atomic scale.

A glass sponge found deep in the Pacific shows a remarkable ability to withstand compression and bending, on top of the sponge’s other unusual properties.

Two mathematicians have proved the first leg of Paul Erdős’ all-time favorite problem about number patterns.

Randomness would seem to make a mathematical statement harder to prove. In fact, it often does the opposite.

Mathematicians have found that materials conduct electricity when electrons follow a universal mathematical pattern.

In a world seemingly filled with chaos, physicists have discovered new forms of synchronization and are learning how to predict and control them.

Through exacting geometric calculations, Philip Gibbs has found the smallest known cover for any possible shape.

Quanta’s In Theory video series returns with an exploration of a mysterious mathematical pattern found throughout nature.

Psychedelic drugs can trigger characteristic hallucinations, which have long been thought to hold clues about the brain’s circuitry. After nearly a century of study, a possible explanation is crystallizing.