Some patterns arise simply or randomly, but others develop via complex, precise interactions of pattern-generating systems. Their beauty aside, the intricacies of these systems are inspiring the ...

New research by University of Alberta scientists shows that one movement started by a single individual ripples through the entire group of animals and helps them form intricate and complicated ...

A new study suggests that the spot patterns decorating giraffes’ coats may serve a social function. Researchers, writing in the Journal of Zoology, found that female giraffes prefer to associate with ...

Nature follows mathematical rules and creates repeating patterns across completely different organisms and environments. These patterns appear so consistently that scientists can predict them, and ...

More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model—and adding new twists—to ...