Leaf Vascularization… and Math

via Wikimedia Commons

Scientists study leaf patterns to better elucidate the relationship between geometric structure and biological function in nature:

http://tinyurl.com/cung4je

from the article:

" 'This research is a unique interdisciplinary partnership in which physics is used to address biological problems, and it is our belief that the mathematical and physical sciences will play a major role in biomedical research in this century,' says Krastan Blagoev, director for the Physics of Living Systems program in NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, which funded the research.

"Magnasco says this research is a jumping off point for understanding other systems that branch and rejoin, including everything from river systems to neural networks and even malignant tumors."