James Lucas Profile picture
Oct 8, 2024 27 tweets 8 min read Read on X
The mesmerizing perfection of nature 🧵

1. Sunflowers are made up of hundreds of tiny flowers aligned in near perfect symmetry. Image
2. Snowflake resting on a crow's wing.
Photo by Shawn Bergman. Image
3. Under a mushroom cap Image
4. A bubble freezing

5. Aloe polyphylla, commonly referred to as spiral aloe, is well known for its stunningly symmetrical growth pattern, which forms a distinctive five-pointed spiral. Image
6. The fractal symmetry of Romanesco broccoli Image
7. Chemistree!

Trees are natural fractals. The branching pattern of trees was first described in the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci: "All the branches of a tree at every stage of its height when put together are equal in thickness to the trunk below them." Image
8. The symmetry of this kudu, a large woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Image
9. Inside a honeycomb

10. The perfect symmetry of this plant Image
11. Japanese camellia Image
12. The graceful symmetry of this American yellow warbler in flight Image
13. Guttation is the process by which liquid is forced out of leaves through specialized glands, forming droplets that sit on the edges like jewels. Image
14. Perfectly symmetrical snowflakes

15. Mathematicians believe that honeycombs are arranged in tessellating hexagonal patterns because this shape allows bees to store the largest possible amount of honey while using the least amount of wax. Image
16. Stunning opal reveal

17. The spiral arrangement of pinecones

Most pinecones display spirals that follow Fibonacci Sequence, where each scale is arranged in a mathematical spiral that ensures efficient growth and space usage. Image
18. The web created by the spiny orb-weaver spider is a remarkable example of engineering, built from various types of silk, each serving a unique purpose.

19. The atlas moth has wings that mimic two cobras watching its back.

20. The symmetry of the dahlia Image
21. The breathtaking colors of the Anna's hummingbird result from iridescence created by light scattering through nanoscale structures in its feathers.

22. The logarithmic spiral shape of many seashells, such as nautilus shells, demonstrates both beauty and mathematical symmetry. Image
23. This is a melanistic fox, one of the rarest animals on Earth. Image
24. This is how a starfish walks

25. Humans and most animals have bilateral symmetry, meaning they can be split into two matching halves.

Scientists believe symmetry is crucial for physical attractiveness, with the peacock being a prime example of how it is used to attract a mate.

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More from @JamesLucasIT

May 8
Colorized historical footage - a thread 🧵

1. Pope Leo XIII was the earliest-born person recorded on film. Born in 1810, he was 86 years old when this was captured in 1896. For reference, the Pope was born the year after Lincoln and Darwin and the same year as Chopin.
2. D-Day, 6th June 1944

3. This footage was recorded in Gateshead, England, on May 8th, 1945, following Churchill's declaration of Victory in Europe.

Read 15 tweets
May 7
Papal conclave aesthetics 🧵

1. The Sistine Chapel Image
2. Before entering the Sistine Chapel, the "Pro eligendo Romano Pontefice" mass is celebrated by the Cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica. Image
3. The Cardinals make their way into the Sistine Chapel to begin the first vote of the Conclave

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May 5
In 1962, three men escaped from Alcatraz.

They left lifelike dummy heads in their cells, and the guards didn’t notice until morning.

The official story? They drowned.
But a 2013 letter suggests otherwise… 🧵 Image
Alcatraz operated as a maximum-security prison in the San Francisco Bay from 1934 to 1963.

Heavily guarded and surrounded by freezing, shark-infested waters, it was considered escape-proof.

But on June 11, 1962, three inmates defied the odds and vanished into history...
The escape was led by Frank Morris, a bank robber with an I.Q. of 133, along with brothers John and Clarence Anglin.

A fourth conspirator, Allen West, failed to escape and was left behind.

Morris and the Anglins pulled off one of the most daring prison breaks in U.S. history: Image
Read 15 tweets
May 5
In 1962, three men escaped from Alcatraz.

They left lifelike dummy heads in their cells, and the guards didn’t notice until morning.

The official story? They drowned.
But a 2013 letter suggests otherwise…🧵 Image
Alcatraz operated as a maximum-security prison in the San Francisco Bay from 1934 to 1963.

Surrounded by freezing, shark-infested waters and heavily guarded, it was considered escape-proof.

But on June 11, 1962, three inmates defied the odds and vanished into history...
The escape was led by Frank Morris, a bank robber with an I.Q. of 133, along with brothers John and Clarence Anglin.

A fourth conspirator, Allen West, failed and was left behind.

Morris and the Anglins pulled off one of the most daring prison breaks in U.S. history. Image
Read 14 tweets
May 4
The art of David Ambarzumjan - a thread🧵

1. "Recover" Image
2. "Breathe" Image
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3. "This Was Water" Image
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May 3
Thread of historical photos you've (probably) never seen before 🧵

1. A Protestant husband and his Catholic wife were not allowed to be buried together. These are their headstones, reaching across the two cemeteries in 1888. Image
2. Jenny Joseph posing for Columbia Pictures Logo, 1992 Image
3. Dresden viewed from the Rathaus (city hall) in 1945

Between 13 and 15 February, over 3,900 tons of explosives and incendiaries were dropped on Dresden.

The resulting firestorm destroyed more than 1,600 acres of the city centre and killed up to 25,000 people. Image
Read 21 tweets

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