Scientists have studied trees depicted in various works of art and found they contain fractals, following relatively simple ...

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

By using fractal math to calculate how the branches of trees are depicted in art, researchers can put a number on what makes for a realistic tree.

Here in the High Desert, ponderosa pine trees. “They grow in what’s called a branching fractal pattern,” Brazier explained. From the base of the tree, “It grows up and it branches out.

Trees are loosely fractal, branching forms that repeat the same patterns at smaller and smaller scales from trunk to branch tip.

Take a tour through the magical world of natural fractals and discover the complex patterns of succulents, rivers, leaf veins, crystals, and more.

Scientists have studied trees depicted in various works of art and found they contain fractals, following relatively simple mathematical rules also found in branching patterns in nature.

The math concept hidden in this tree art — geometric shapes known as fractals — is apparent in branching patterns in nature and may be key to humans’ ability to recognize such artwork as ...