It’s a wonderful world — and universe — out there.

Geometry

a pink paper cut out heart with a fold line down the middle, against a pink background

Math

Scientists Say: Symmetry

From snowflakes to animal body plans, repeating patterns of shapes show up throughout nature.

By Katie Grace CarpenterAugust 31, 2026

Backlit round leaves of a Chinese money plant show branching veins and tiny pores, with a blurred outdoor scene in the background.

Plants

A geometric pattern lurks in Chinese money plant leaves

By Alex MusicJuly 27, 2026

A black hole is an object so compact that nothing can escape its gravitational pull. Not even light. On Earth an object needs to be launched with a speed of 11 km/s if it is to escape the planet's gravity and go into orbit. But the escape velocity of a black hole exceeds the speed of light. Since nothing can travel faster than this ultimate speed, black holes suck in everything including light, which makes them utterly dark and invisible. In this image, we can see a black hole, but only because it is surrounded by a superheated disc of material, an accretion disc. The closer to the hole the material gets, the more and more of its light is captured, which is why the hole grows darker towards its center

Math

Scientists Say: Dimension

By Katie Grace CarpenterMarch 3, 2025

More Stories in Geometry

Math
Scientists Say: Fractal

There’s no end in sight for these infinitely complex geometric wonders.

By Katie Grace CarpenterAugust 12, 2024