Unwinding Nature’s Geometry

Smith College Professor of Mathematics Christophe Golé and three co-authors have been awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s (MAA) prestigious 2026 Euler Book Prize for their book, Do Plants Know Math? Unwinding the Story of Plant Spirals, from Leonardo da Vinci to Now (Princeton University Press, 2024).

Established in 2005 to honor mathematical pioneer Leonhard Euler, the national prize celebrates outstanding books that enhance public understanding and appreciation of mathematics.

Co-authored with physicist Stéphane Douady, biologist Jacques Dumais, and journalist Nancy Pick, Do Plants Know Math? explores the phenomenon of phyllotaxis—the arrangement of leaves and stems on a plant—and its striking connection to the Fibonacci number series, logarithmic spirals, soap bubbles, and even Japanese kirigami. 

The book traces centuries of human curiosity surrounding plant geometry, linking early insights by thinkers from Leonardo da Vinci, to British mathematician Alan Turing, known as the “father of modern computing.”  

Euler prize judges praised the book for bringing “mathematics out of the abstract and into everyday life.” Highlighting its hands-on “Try Your Hand” activities designed for audiences ranging from K–12 students through university classrooms, the panel noted that the work “is built to transform how readers look at the natural world.”

“Above all, Do Plants Know Math? is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary problem-solving,” the authors noted in a joint statement. “It took all four of us to make this project happen: a physicist, a biologist, a journalist, and a mathematician.”

Golé and his team will be formally recognized during the 2026 MathFest Prize Session hosted by the MAA in Boston, Massachusetts, August 5–8, 2026.