At its heart, this research uncovers the hidden geometric principles behind the unique shape of rose petals. While scientists extensively studied shape morphing in natural sheets such as leaves and petals, the team at Hebrew University discovered a new player: MCP incompatibility—a geometric principle that causes the petal’s signature cusps. It turns out that as the petal grows, stress builds at the edges, shaping the curves we recognize and love. The discovery not only uncovered the geometric origin of the shape of rose petals, but also introduces a new paradigm for understanding how complex forms emerge in nature—and how we might harness the same principles to design advanced materials that shape themselves with similar elegance and precision.