The poison dart frog has plenty of enemies in the wild, from birds and bats, to snakes and fish. It has many ways of protecting itself: its poison ooze, its speed. But equally as effective are its ...

A thought experiment can help visualize the challenge of achieving distinctive color patterns. Imagine gently adding a drop of blue and red dye to a cup of water. The drops will slowly disperse ...

There are many purposes that spots and stripes serve in nature, but how they form has been more of a mystery to scientists. Now, researchers have advanced their breakthrough theory – and it could help ...

New research by University of Alberta scientists shows that one movement started by a single individual ripples through the entire group of animals and helps them form intricate and complicated ...

Ever wondered how leopards wear perfect dots or zebra's stripes? Scientists now know that patterns are not random at all. They are guided by nature’s chemistry, mathematics and tiny skin cells. These ...

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 ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The fur and scales of the animal kingdom are far from boring and ...

Biologists have long been fascinated by the amazing diversity of animal colour patterns. Despite much interest, the underlying evolutionary and developmental mechanisms contributing to their rich ...

Many animals have stripes or patterns for the purposes of camouflage. But why the particular designs? Harvard researchers believe they know how a certain direction occurs and they have come up with a ...

Nature follows mathematical rules and creates repeating patterns across completely different organisms and environments. These patterns appear so consistently that scientists can predict them, and ...

Iowa is now part of an international network of radio receiver stations, stretching from Canada to South America, tracking long-distance migration patterns of birds, bats and insects. Anna Buckardt ...