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Complex engineered and biological systems share protocol-based architectures that make them robust and evolvable, but with hidden fragilities to rare perturbations.
Understanding the dynamics of infectious-disease transmission demands a holistic approach, yet today's models largely ignore how epidemics change individual behaviour.
Networks of interactions between thousands of molecules within cells seem to defy comprehension, but shared principles of design may simplify the picture.
Between the nano- and micrometre scales, the collective behaviour of matter can give rise to startling emergent properties that hint at the nexus between biology and physics.
Biodiversity researchers have focused on diversity at the cost of ignoring the networks of interactions between organisms that characterize ecosystems.
By tapping into social cues, individuals in a group may gain access to higher-order computational capacities that mirror the group's responses to its environment.
If handled appropriately, data about Internet-based communication and interactivity could revolutionize our understanding of collective human behaviour.