Fibonacci, quasicrystals and the beauty of flowers.
The appearance of Fibonacci sequences and the golden ratio in plant structures is one of the great outstanding puzzles of biology. Here I suggest that quasicrystals, which naturally pack in the golden ratio, may be ubiquitous in biological systems and introduce the golden ratio into plant phyllotaxy. The appearance of golden ratio-based structures as beautiful indicates that the golden ratio may play a role in the development of consciousness and lead to the aesthetic natural selection of flowering plants.
The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. jgardiner@mail.usyd.edu.au
John
J
Gardiner
D003198:Computer Simulation; D035264:Flowers / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D036103:Nanotechnology