Medvedev modeled wave diffraction off a circular reflecting region with radially varying index of refraction outside of it to better understand the Crab Nebula’s zebra pattern.

This story appears in the July 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine. If a zebra zigs, will its stripes make a predator zag? That’s the idea behind motion dazzle, a century-old hypothesis ...

or other patterns to "break up" their body outline so that predatory animals won't see the contours of an animal's body. When a zebra is among its herd, its stripes blend in with others ...

Zebras are black with white stripes and not the other way around. The pattern of black-and-white stripes on a zebra is as individual as a fingerprint. Their shiny coats can dissipate three ...