Latest L. Mahadevan Stories

Biologists from Harvard University recently examined why the flowers of lilies have characteristically crinkled edges. PhD student Haiyi Liang and Professor L. Mahadevan carried out the research.The lily was marked with dots along the edge of the petal as well as the center of the flower. Time-lapse video reveals that the petals grow longer at the edges than in the middle. These dots enabled the researchers to measure every physical change of the flower as it grew from bud to bloom."I noticed...

By stretching a foam ribbon and dissecting leaves, a mathematical model emergesApplied mathematicians dissected the morphology of the plantain lily (Hosta lancifolia), a characteristic long leaf with a saddle-like arc midsection and closely packed ripples along the edges. The simple cause of the lily's fan-like shape"”elastic relaxation resulting from bending during differential growth"”was revealed by using an equally simple technique, stretching foam ribbons.Haiyi Liang, a postdoctoral...