Scientists made fake leaves and dropped them in water tanks to observe how different shapes move as they sink.

Shape and symmetry help determine where a leaf lands — and if the tree it came from can recoup the leaf’s carbon as it decomposes.

ideally under a tree canopy,' says Julia. 'In hot climates, protect the plant from direct sunlight, as it can scorch the ...

Credit: Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2025). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2024.0654 In watching leaves fall, it became clear to the researchers that the determining factor was leaf shape.To find ...

"Data correlating shape and settling across a broad range of natural, mutated, and artificial leaves support the fast-leaf-hypothesis: Deciduous leaves are symmetric and relatively unlobed in part ...