'Fractal' mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot dies at 85

Benoit Mandelbrot, who discovered mathematical shapes known as fractals, has died of cancer at the age of 85.

Mandelbrot, who had joint French and US nationality, developed fractals as a mathematical way of understanding the infinite complexity of nature.

The concept has been used to measure coastlines, clouds and other natural phenomena and had far-reaching effects in physics, biology and astronomy.