Spirals occur frequently in nature and can be seen in plant leaves, animal shells and even in the double helix of our DNA. A study of 12,000 spirals from over 650 plant species found that Fibonacci spirals occur in over 90% of cases. We set out to test this hypothesis with an investigation of early plant fossils. The discovery of non-Fibonacci spirals in such an early fossil is surprising as they are very rare in living plant species today. The work also adds another piece to the puzzle of a major evolutionary question – why are Fibonacci spirals so common in plants today?

Source: The Hindu June 26, 2023 12:20 UTC