More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model—and adding new twists—to ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Zebras' thick, black stripes may have evolved to help these iconic creatures stay cool in the ...

The strikingly patterned ornate boxfish has no lack of detail when it comes to its hexagonal spots and keen stripes — the intricate markings are so sharp-edged in the species that it had engineers at ...

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. The natural world presents a palette of beautiful complexity. From the ...

Animals with abnormal coat patterns may be inbred, “dramatic evidence” of how habitat fragmentation can harm wildlife, a new study says. Though plains zebras are the least threatened of the three ...

Nature creates incredible works of living art through its many different animal patterns, such as a leopard’s spots or a ...

Nature is full of many patterned animals, from the stripes on zebras, spots on leopards, to the intricate details on sea creatures. Researchers have studied for a long time the biological explanation ...

The zebrafish, a small fresh water fish, owes its name to a striking pattern of blue stripes alternating with golden stripes. Three major pigment cell types, black cells, reflective silvery cells, and ...

Woolly bear caterpillars (known as woolly worms) are said to predict the winter weather, but are they accurate?

A farmer in central Pennsylvania is taking extra precautions for deer hunting season. Friz Konieczka doesn't want his animals mistaken for deer, so he painted bright orange stripes on his horses, his ...

The two hours my 12-year-old son and I recently spent marveling at the wingspan of a vulture soaring overhead, laughing at playful monkeys and hand-feeding deer and goats was an ideal way to make the ...