Nature's Shapes - Dave Gorman, Sarah Hart and Thomas Woolley

Brian Cox and Robin Ince unpick the hidden codes behind the shapes we see in nature with mathematicians Sarah Hart & Thomas Woolley and comedian Dave Gorman. The panel marvel at how evolution so often beats mathematicians to finding the most elegant solutions, after all, it’s had millennia to experiment. How do trees achieve the optimal distribution of leaves and why are tortoise shells so geometrically exciting? Plus we learn why the cheetah got its spots, thanks to the work of Thomas Woolley’s mathematical hero, Alan Turing, how numbers can be more or less irrational, and why Dave Gorman has a vendetta against oblongs. Producer: Melanie Brown Exec Producer: Alexandra Feachem Assistant Producer: Olivia Jani

You can listen to Nature's Shapes - Dave Gorman, Sarah Hart and Thomas Woolley online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Nature's Shapes - Dave Gorman, Sarah Hart and Thomas Woolley is an episode from The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC.

This episode is 42:27 long.

This episode was published on Mar 26, 2025.

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