This great article on computational self-similarity in nature provided the author with an excuse to take a series of spectacular close-up photos of the incredible Romanesco broccoli plant. Fractals never looked so delicious!

(Click pictures for high-resolution images.)

Nearly exact self-similar fractal forms occur do in nature, but I'd never seen such a beautiful and perfect example until, some time after moving to Switzerland, I came across a chou Romanesco like the one above in a grocery store. This is so visually stunning an object that on first encounter it's hard to imagine you're looking at a garden vegetable rather than an alien artefact created with molecular nanotechnology. But of course, then you realise that vegetables are created with molecular nanotechnology, albeit the product of earthly evolution, not extraterrestrial engineering.

Nature really is the best artist. This is another fine clip, Kore.

Thanks, mousie. Nice profile pic.

, Kore.