Abstract

Symmetry: Culture and Science
Volume 36, Number 1, pages 005-006 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.26830/symmetry_2025_1_005

A NEW BEGINNING, SYMMETRY IN TRANSFORMATIONrn

Simone Brasili, Johan Gielis

Dear Readers,

This year, we celebrate the 36th anniversary of Symmetry: Culture and Science. Throughout these years, symmetry has been a key idea for our journal, demonstrating its interdisciplinary relevance. This centrality is confirmed in the first issue of Volume 36, which addresses symmetry in mathematics and biology. Importantly, symmetry research is still relevant and developing today.

Beyond the conventional presumptions of biological symmetry, Gianfranco Natale et al. contribute to the role of symmetry and asymmetry in humans. Their examination of split-brain syndrome provides an intriguing viewpoint on functional asymmetry in perception and cognition. The contributions of Carl Linnaeus's student Clas Bjerkander to the initial studies of symmetry in crystallography and botany are discussed historically by Marina Voinova. The article emphasizes the continued scientific interest in symmetrical patterns in nature by reinterpreting these past findings.

The mathematical features of symmetry are covered in several articles. Mark Tomenes and Antonette N. De Las Peñas show how mathematical theory and geometric design are closely related by proposing a technique for creating tessellations in Euclidean space. Paolo Emilio Ricci, Diego Caratelli and Primo Brandi examine Grandi's roses, a family of rhodonean curves, as extensions. With consequences for the theory of complex functions, they offer novel formulations of the Euler cosine series and Laguerre-type exponentials. To conclude the issue, Jay Friedenberg and associates explore the aesthetic appeal of symmetrical wallpaper patterns. The findings help clarify how symmetry influences visual perception and artistic appreciation by demonstrating a preference for rotational symmetry over other forms, including reflection, glide reflection, or translation.

This issue's articles demonstrate how interdisciplinary symmetry research is. Symmetry is a concept that connects science with creativity, as seen in everything from the molecular structures of life to intricate patterns in art and design. We are pleased to keep expanding our knowledge of symmetry in all its manifestations, providing a more comprehensive perspective of the natural and mathematical order that governs our universe. We would like to thank the authors and reviewers who have contributed to this publication, enriched the discourse and ensured the high quality of the contributions.

At the same time, Symmetry: Science and Culture is in transition and transformation. After György Darvas passes away, Symmetrology and the International Symmetry Association (ISA) need restructuring. Fortunately, ISA continues and has appointed one of us as a new member, ensuring continuity, also in view of the forthcoming Symmetry Festival in Japan in 2026. We hope that in 2025, we can place everything on solid foundations again, with a new beginning. For the moment, the journal is the platform holding everything together, and we invite researchers and scholars to submit their work to Symmetry: Culture and Science and join us in advancing the ongoing dialog about the multifaceted nature of symmetry and the symphony of its influences.