Do Plants Know Math?: Adventures of a Mathematician in Science Writing
Short Bio
Christophe Golé is a mathematician originally from France, with academic positions held at institutions including ETH Zurich and UC Santa Cruz. He is the author of Symplectic Twist Maps, a book on dynamical systems, and coined the term “ghost tori” in this context. His recent work focuses on mathematical biology, particularly plant pattern formation (phyllotaxis) and the occurrence of Fibonacci numbers in nature. He co-founded the NSF-funded 4 College Biomath Consortium, which led to the Five College Biomathematical Sciences Certificate Program.
Abstract
"Do Plants Know Math?" is the title of a book I co-authored with physicist Stéphane Douady, biologist Jacques Dumais, and writer Nancy Pick. Written for a general audience with a historical perspective, the book primarily explores phyllotaxis—the arrangement of leaves and other organs around plant stems—while also examining plant fractals, kirigami models of leaf formation, and related phenomena.
To our knowledge, phyllotaxis represents the first historical intersection of biological and mathematical research. Delving into its history uncovers remarkable treasures: phyllotaxis studies led to the first formulation of renormalization (van Iterson, 1907) and inspired one of the earliest computer programs (developed by Turing in the last years of his life).
In this talk, I will highlight several of these hidden historical gems while discussing the productive symbiosis between our scientific research on phyllotaxis and the creation of our book.
