Harvard Scientists Discover New Shape Using Rubber Band

If you remember (or still have) a landline phone, you've likely played with the cord that connects the handset to the base, the one that coils up like a spring. If so, you may have formed an unusual shape that doesn't occur in nature — one that Harvard scientists have just officially recognized and named. It's called the hemihelix.

A hemihelix is a kind of kink that can form in any coiled shape, such as Slinky toys. The scientists used rubber bands to test their theory that the shape can be consistently replicated. Turns out it can.