Ferns

Ferns can also be fractals. Generate and plot the Barnsley Fern fractal in Python using MatplotlibTwo Barnsley Fern Fractals. Image by the Author.Ferns are beautiful plants that exhibit a self-similar structure: the entire plant is similar to a part of itself. This property makes them interesting from a mathematical point of view. The fern pattern can be described as a fractal that can be mathematically generated, thus being reproducible at any scale. We can zoom-in indefinitely and never run out of ferns.Photo by…

Ferns are vascular plants that reproduce through spores and do not have seeds or flowers.A new study reveals ferns’ history of DNA hoarding and kleptomania.Ferns are infamous for having an enormous number of chromosomes and massive amounts of <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>DNA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around…

The emergence of seed-producing plants more than 300 million years ago was an evolutionary watershed, opening new environments to plants and ultimately leading to the flowering plants that brighten our world and supply much of our food. But it was less of a leap than it seems, newly published DNA sequences suggest. The genomes, from three fern species and a cycad, one of the oldest kinds of seed-bearing plants, show genes key to making seeds are the same as those in the…

There's something really peculiar about ferns.Their DNA is weird and complex. In fact, one species of fern – Ophioglossum reticulatum, or the adder's tongue fern – holds the record for the multicellular organism with the most number of chromosomes. Around 720 pairs of chromosomes can be found in most of its cellular nuclei.Well, turns out we were right to be suspicious.After years of painstaking work, scientists have finally sequenced the gargantuan genomes of three different homosporous ferns, revealing that these…