Leaf spirals

2003/03/12 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Botanika
• Fisika

Researchers at the French CNRS and the University of Texas explain why lettuce leaves, or other plants, are spirals. And don't think you've been given a complex physical-biological explanation. According to researchers, spirals are due to the fact that the ends of the leaves grow faster than the central parts. The same phenomenon occurs when a plastic sheet is broken. When breaking the plastic, one end lengthens and the imbalance between the two ends makes the sheet curve.

To find out what Kiribil's exact pattern is, scientists turn to mathematics to explain the deformation of space and time, employed by Einstein.

Photo: R. COEN.