Math in nature

Mathematical patterns found in living things. Each topic lists only known properties from the cited papers.

• Classic mathematical models of life (Lotka–Volterra, SIR, Hodgkin–Huxley)
  3 studies · Equations that describe predator–prey cycles, epidemics and nerve impulses.
• Fibonacci spirals and the golden angle (phyllotaxis)
  2 studies · Leaves and seeds often sit at about 137.5° from each other, producing Fibonacci-numbered spirals.
• Fractals in biology and allometric scaling laws
  3 studies · Lungs and blood vessels branch in repeating, self-similar patterns, which may explain why metabolism scales with body mass to the 3/4 power.
• Honeycomb hexagons
  2 studies · Hexagons divide a plane into equal areas with the least total perimeter, and bees end up with nearly hexagonal cells.
• L-systems and Voronoi patterns
  2 studies · Simple rewrite rules that grow plant-like branching, and tilings that approximate how cells pack.
• Turing reaction-diffusion patterns
  4 studies · Two interacting chemicals or cell types spreading at different rates can spontaneously form spots and stripes.