Fractals, or repeating patterns ... That happens a lot in nature, she said, including even the spiral pattern seen in the pinecones of the ponderosa tree. Likewise, the coiled, fossilized shells ...

From the spiral arms of galaxies to microscopic snow crystals, nature seems to fall into fractal-like patterns that repeat in increasingly smaller increments. No matter how small you go ...

or even the fascinatingly fractal-shaped Romanesco cauliflower. The latter features spirals made of small conical pyramids called florets, each resembling the overall conical shape of the whole ...