Researchers from the University of Kent, the Research Institute for Environmental Treatment, and Vita-Market Ltd have established a universal mathematical formula that can describe any bird’s egg found in nature, a feat that has previously been impossible.
From an analytical standpoint, the egg-shape has long piqued the interest of mathematicians, engineers, and biologists. The shape has been highly respected for its evolution as being large enough to incubate an embryo, small enough to exit the body in the most efficient way, structurally sound enough to carry weight, and the beginning of life for so many species. The egg has been described as having “the perfect form.”
The sphere, ellipsoid, ovoid, and pyriform (conical or pear-shaped) were used to analyze all egg types, with a mathematical formula for the pyriform yet to be derived.
To address this, researchers added a new function to the ovoid formula and created a mathematical model to suit a whole new geometric shape known as the final stage in the evolution of the sphere-ellipsoid, which can be applied to any egg geometry.
The diameter at one quarter of the egg length is based on four parameters: egg length, maximum breadth, vertical axis shift, and diameter at one quarter of the egg length.
This long-awaited universal formula is a major step in understanding not only the egg shape, but also how and why it arose, allowing for a wide range of biological and technological applications.
Food research, mechanical engineering, agriculture, biosciences, architecture, and aeronautics have all used mathematical descriptions of all basic egg shapes. This formula, for example, can be used to design thin-walled egg-shaped vessels that are stronger than normal spherical vessels.
This novel formula is a significant innovation that can be used in a variety of ways, including:
A scientifically accurate description of a biological item. Work in the disciplines of biological systematics, technical parameter optimization, egg incubation, and poultry selection will be substantially simplified now that an egg can be characterized using a mathematical formula.
Determining the physical qualities of a biological entity in an accurate and straightforward manner. Researchers and engineers who create technology for incubating, processing, storing, and sorting eggs need to know about an egg’s exterior features. This formula gives a straightforward identification technique that uses egg volume, surface area, radius of curvature, and other indicators to describe the contours of the egg.
Engineering inspired by biology in the future. The egg is a natural biological system that has been investigated in order to develop engineering systems and cutting-edge technology. The egg-shaped geometric figure is used in architecture, such as the top of London City Hall and the Gherkin, and construction because it can sustain maximum stresses with minimal material usage, which this formula can now readily apply to.
Professor of Genetics at the University of Kent and the study’s principal investigator, Darren Griffin, said: “As indicated by this formula, biological evolutionary processes such as egg creation must be examined for mathematical representation as a basis for evolutionary biology research. This universal formula may be applied to a wide range of fields, including the food and poultry industries, and will serve as a springboard for more research into the egg as a research object.”
“This mathematical equation underpins our understanding and appreciation of a certain philosophical harmony between mathematics and biology, and from those two a way towards further comprehension of our universe, understood neatly in the shape of an egg,” said Dr Michael Romanov, Visiting Researcher at the University of Kent.
Former visiting researcher at the University of Kent, Dr. Valeriy Narushin, said: “We’re excited to see how this formula is applied across industries, from art to technology, architecture to agriculture. This accomplishment demonstrates the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in research.”