A totally unexpected result is lucidly explained in the top comment at this AskScience subreddit thread.
Hint: it's the same reason that Devil's Tower and the Giant's Causeway are formed of cylindrical hexagons... if that helps...
Reposted from 2015.
Stan, this is not a comment on this post specifically but a pointer to something that I think might be of interest to you.
ReplyDeleteI recently came across this collection of video profiles of artisans from India: http://taapsiramchandani.com/visual-anthropology/artisan-videos/
Most videos are a fairly straightforward profile of one particular artisan and their work, but a few contain particularly interesting backstories. I would rather let you browse and choose your own favourites rather than point directly to mine. (I will eventually add a link from my own blog, but probably not for another couple of weeks).
Based on the sorts of things you blog, my impression of what interests you is that you are attracted to things that are aesthetically interesting at first glance and intellectually interesting on closer examination. I think you'll find the above link hits precisely that spot.