We all know what a spiral looks like. Or do we? Ask your friends to describe one and they will probably trace out the form of a spiral staircase. But that is actually a helix; a curve in ...

A logarithmic spiral with a diameter of 500 μm, approximately half the diameter of a sewing needle. Curiosity about a mistake that left tiny dots on a germanium wafer with evaporated metal films led ...

Gael Mariani and Martin Scott perpetuate a series of myths in their letter about Fibonacci numbers in nature (3 September, p 19). It is true that the Fibonacci numbers are associated with a particular ...

A logarithmic spiral with a diameter of 500 μm, approximately half the diameter of a sewing needle. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to ...

Beams of light polarized into spirals have been used by scientists in the UK to create intricate patterns on the surface of metals. This is the first time that these “logarithmic spirals” have been ...

Consider the wheel. Round. Dependable. Boring. Hasn’t been redesigned in centuries. Positively Neolithic. Now consider the spiral. Eccentric. Open-ended. Captivating. Native Americans carved spirals ...

From Neolithic times to the latest high-rise architecture, it is a mysterious symbol. Beverley D'Silva explores how the infinite, twisting spiral has influenced artists, thinkers and designers for ...