In nature, fractal patterns aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, they’re also often related to function. For example, branching enables trees to transport fluid, harvest light and maintain ...

The math that describes the branching pattern of trees in nature also holds for trees depicted in art—and may even underlie our ability to recognize artworks as depictions of trees.

Why do the same, self-repeating patterns appear in trees, rivers, lightning, and even our bodies?

Trees in nature follow a “self-similar” branching pattern called a fractal, in which the same structures repeat at smaller and smaller scales from the trunk to the branch tip.

This branching pattern represents the math of survival because it is the most efficient way to move fluids. And in nature, only the most efficient survive.

In nature, fractal patterns aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, they’re also often related to function. For example, branching enables trees to transport fluid, harvest light and maintain ...

In nature, fractal patterns aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, they’re also often related to function. For example, branching enables trees to transport fluid, harvest light and maintain ...

In nature, fractal patterns aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, they’re also often related to function. For example, branching enables trees to transport fluid, harvest light and maintain ...