ATTN: Cramulus (and other fractal tards)

[P3nT4gR4m]

fullsize

Download the program that generated this at linky

[Luna]

Holy shit...

[The Wizard Joseph]

That's pretty freakin' cool. When I have time I'll take a look at the program.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Brain can't cope...

[P3nT4gR4m]

fucked about a bit and got this


Click for epic-stupid-big!

[Triple Zero]

I saw similarly amazing pics of the new Mandelbulb fractal. Dunno where they came from, prolly behind some of the links on this page:

http://www.skytopia.com/project/fractal/2mandelbulb.html

[Triple Zero]

ah there we are it was this gallery I think:

http://www.skytopia.com/project/fractal/mandelbrot.html#best

enjoy

[Kai]

As a biologist, I appreciate fractals. For the longest time, mathemeticians were trying to describe natural shapes with the basic sets of multi sided two dimentional and three dimentional figures in combination, and it ended up not describing it well at all. With very simple fractal equations, however, we can describe and model the most complex shapes we know, simpler than the traditional geometers could have conceived.

What's even cooler is that we understand why biology works in this fractal manner. Developmental biology shows us that the axial position of certain tissues is determined by the gradients of multiple transcription factors (genes that, when translated to proteins, amplify or diminish the transcription rates of other genes). At the boundaries where the transcription factors interact is very much like the boundary of one of the popular fractal sets. Cells of various tissues growing in branching patterns buffered by that transcription factor grid so that there are limits which act as boundaries.

There are the basic two factors which polarize the embryo, put there by the mother. Okay, so now we have the head and the anus, cutting it in half, causing the release of another factor which determines the back from the belly, and a third which determines left from right. Now we have a three dimentional grid (in bisymetrical animals, anyway). At the head end, a high concentration of one and low of the other will cause the transcription of the "head factor", which will trigger other factors causing the gridation of the head (left from right, top from bottom). You can see that these various factors combinations will become quite complex, cutting the embryo down into smaller and smaller units of specialization.

And here's what I consider as the really cool thing. I already told you that the kickstart for the transcription factor cascade comes from the mother. Which was started, originally, by her mother. And on and on, mothers all the way down. In fact, these transcription factor cascades and gradients seem to be essential to multicellular animals, meaning that theres been this giant cascade of transcription factors going on for the past billion years. 

[LMNO]

Whoa. That's fucking AWESOME.

[Don Coyote]

I came for the pretty pictures. I stayed for the expert opinion on something related.

Also, fuck you Kai, for making stuff even cooler.