Complex systems

Throughout nature, throngs of relatively simple elements can self-organize into behaviors that seem unexpectedly complex. Scientists are beginning to understand why and how these phenomena emerge without a central organizing entity.

Quanta’s In Theory video series returns with an exploration of a mysterious mathematical pattern found throughout nature.

Corina Tarnita deciphers bizarre patterns in the soil created by competing life-forms.

Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth’s climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes?

Researchers are uncovering the hidden laws that reveal how the Internet grows, how viruses spread, and how financial bubbles burst.

A potent theory has emerged explaining a mysterious statistical law that arises throughout physics and mathematics.

Knowing the rules behind ant-made structures could help scientists understand how other complex systems emerge in nature.

Support is growing for a decades-old physics idea suggesting that localized episodes of disordered brain activity help keep the overall system in healthy balance.

Scientific data sets are becoming more dynamic, requiring new mathematical techniques on par with the invention of calculus.