A team of researchers from the University of Oxford has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geometry, uncovering a brand-new class of shapes called “soft cells.” These unique shapes are characterized by curved edges and non-flat faces, unlike traditional sharp-cornered shapes like triangles and squares.
The problem the researchers aimed to solve is how to completely fill a space with shapes or objects. Humans tend to go for sharp- cornered shapes, but nature rarely uses this approach. For instance, an onion’s cells are packed tightly together without any right angles, while muscle tissue consists of squidged-out circles.
Soft cells are particularly interesting when moving from two dimensions to three. They help explain why cross-sections of chambered shells show corners, but the 3D geometry of the chambers doesn’t. These shapes can be found everywhere once you know what to look for, governing natural forms like tip growth, blood cells, river islands, and seashells.
The researchers conclude that soft cells are ideal candidate models for biological structures that evolved under full or partial constraint to fill space. The lack of sharp corners and their highly curved geometry make them an efficient solution for filling a space without leaving any gaps behind.
Source: https://www.iflscience.com/mathematicians-just-discovered-a-whole-new-class-of-shape-75938