From spotty leopards to stripy zebras, nature has no shortage of distinct patterns on animals and plants. Now, the age-old question of how these patterns developed may have finally been solved. Scientists have shown that the same physical process that helps remove dirt from laundry could play a role in how tropical fish get their colourful spots and stripes. For their study, the team at the University of Colorado Boulder drew on the groundbreaking work of British computer pioneer Alan Turing, dating back more than 70 years. They believe their findings could help develop new materials and even new drugs.

Ever since Homo erectus, or upright man, a type of early human, carved a piece of stone into a tool, the welfare of our species has been on the increase. Indeed, this technological breakthrough led first to the hand ax, and eventually to the iPhone. We have found it convenient to organize the most dramatic periods of change between these inventions into four industrial revolutions. As each revolution unfolded, dire predictions of massive job losses ensued. Looking back at the first three, we can see how the concerns were misplaced. The number of jobs increased each time, as did living standards.