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 ...

Stripe patterns are commonly seen in nature—for instance, birds and fish move in coordinated flocks and schools, fingerprints form unique designs, and zebras can be identified by their distinctive ...

Scientists painted black cows with white stripes to test fly deterrence. Striped cattle attracted about half as many biting ...

Learn how a small genetic change affects cell communication and reshapes the stripes seen in clownfish. In 1999, a clownfish hatched in a U.K. aquarium with a pattern that didn’t match the usual ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. You work hard to create perfect stripes in your lawn that are the envy of your neighbors. Then those neat lines disappear just a few days ...

Stripes are common in our lives. It’s a pretty basic pattern, and easy to take for granted. As an applied mathematician who studies how patterns form in nature, though, I am wowed by the striped ...

Patterns abound in nature, from zebra stripes and leopard spots to honeycombs and bands of clouds. Somehow, these patterns form and organize all by themselves. To better understand how, researchers ...

Coral reef fishes, including clownfish, display a wide variety of colors but it remains unclear how these colors evolved or how they develop throughout a fish's life. Research published in BMC Biology ...

A person mowing the lawn in a small backyard with flower beds and a fence. - Olena Miroshnichenko/Getty Images You work hard to create perfect stripes in your lawn that are the envy of your neighbors.