# data[].attributes.body
Even something as tiny as a snowflake is governed by the laws of order, as most snowflakes exhibit six-fold radial symmetry with elaborate, identical patterns on each of its arms. Understanding why plants and animals opt for symmetry is hard enough to wrap our brains around, but inanimate objects—how on earth did they figure anything out?

Apparently, it all boils down to chemistry; and specifically, how water molecules arrange themselves as they solidify (crystallize). Water molecules change to a solid state by forming weak hydrogen bonds with each other. These bonds align in an ordered arrangement that maximizes attractive forces and reduces repulsive ones, which happens to form the overall hexagonal shape of the snowflake. But as we’re all aware, no two snowflakes are alike—so how is it that a snowflake is completely symmetrical with itself, while not matching any other snowflake?

Well, as each snowflake makes its descent from the sky it experiences unique atmospheric conditions, like humidity and temperature, which effect how the crystals on the flake “grow.” All the arms of the flake go through the same conditions and consequently crystallize in the same way – each arm an exact copy of the other. No snowflake has the exact same experience coming down and therefore they all look slightly different from one another.

# data[].attributes.body
Sunflowers boast radial symmetry and an interesting type of numerical symmetry known as the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 24, 55, 89, 144, and so on (each number is determined by adding the two preceding numbers together).

If we took the time to count the number of seed spirals in a sunflower, we’d find that the amount of spirals adds up to a Fibonacci number. In fact, a great many plants (including romanesco broccoli) produce petals, leaves, and seeds in the Fibonacci sequence, which is why it’s so hard to find a four-leaf clover.

Counting spirals on sunflowers can be difficult, so if you want to test this principle yourself, try counting the spirals on bigger things like pinecones, pineapples, and artichokes.

Like the hexagonal patterns in a beehive, it’s all a matter of efficiency. For the sake of not getting too technical, suffice it to say that a sunflower can pack in the most seeds if each seed is separated by an angle that’s an irrational number.

As it turns out, the most irrational number is something known as the golden ratio, or Phi, and it just so happens that if we divide any Fibonacci or Lucas number by the preceding number in the sequence we get a number close to Phi (1.618033988749895 . . .) So, for any plant following the Fibonacci sequence, there should be an angle that corresponds to Phi (the “golden angle”) between each seed, leaf, petal, or branch.

# data[].attributes.body
For thousands of years, humans have marveled at the perfect hexagonal figures in honeycombs and wondered how bees can instinctively create a shape humans can only reproduce with a ruler and compass. The honeycomb is a case of wallpaper symmetry, where a repeated pattern covers a plane (e.g. a tiled floor or a mosaic).

How and why do bees have a hankering for hexagons? Well, mathematicians believe that it is the prefect shape to allow bees to store the largest possible amount of honey while using the least amount of wax. Other shapes, like circles for instance, would leave a gap between the cells since they don’t fit together exactly.

Other observers, who have less faith in the ingenuity of bees, think the hexagons form by “accident.” In other words, the bees simply make circular cells and the wax naturally collapses into the form of a hexagon. Either way, it’s all a product of nature —and it’s pretty darn impressive.

# data[].attributes.body
In geometry, a fractal is a complex pattern where each part of a thing has the same geometric pattern as the whole. So with romanseco broccoli, each floret presents the same logarithmic spiral as the whole head (just miniaturized). Essentially, the entire veggie is one big spiral composed of smaller, cone-like buds that are also mini-spirals.

# data[].attributes.body
For centuries, symmetry has remained a subject that’s fascinated philosophers, astronomers, mathematicians, artists, architects, and physicists. The ancient Greeks were downright obsessed with it—and even today we tend to side with symmetry in everything from planning our furniture layout to styling our hair.