Though at first glance the natural world may appear overwhelming in its
diversity and complexity, there are regularities running through it,
from the hexagons of a honeycomb to the spirals of a seashell and the
branching veins of a leaf. Revealing the order at the foundation of the
seemingly chaotic natural world, Patterns in Nature explores not only
the math and science but also the beauty and artistry behind nature's
awe-inspiring designs.
Unlike the patterns we create in technology, architecture, and art,
natural patterns are formed spontaneously from the forces that act in
the physical world. Very often the same types of pattern and form -
spirals, stripes, branches, and fractals, say--recur in places that seem
to have nothing in common, as when the markings of a zebra mimic the
ripples in windblown sand. That's because, as Patterns in Nature
shows, at the most basic level these patterns can often be described
using the same mathematical and physical principles: there is a
surprising underlying unity in the kaleidoscope of the natural world.
Richly illustrated with 250 color photographs and anchored by accessible
and insightful chapters by esteemed science writer Philip Ball,
Patterns in Nature reveals the organization at work in vast and
ancient forests, powerful rivers, massing clouds, and coastlines carved
out by the sea.
By exploring similarities such as those between a snail shell and the
swirling stars of a galaxy, or the branches of a tree and those of a
river network, this spectacular visual tour conveys the wonder, beauty,
and richness of natural pattern formation.
