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Complexity

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science

Astronomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Complexity Computing and artificial intelligence Cosmology Deep time Earth science and climate Ecology and environmental sciences Engineering Evolution Genetics History of science Human evolution Human reproduction Illness and disease Mathematics Medicine Oceans and water Palaeontology Physics Quantum theory Space exploration

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A murmuration of starlings forming a large, swirling shape in the early evening sky above silhouetted trees.

essayNeuroscience

The entangled brain

The brain is much less like a machine than it is like the murmurations of a flock of starlings or an orchestral symphony

Luiz Pessoa

Abstract digital art of glowing, multicoloured clusters against a dark background, resembling molecules in space.

videoPhysics

Groundbreaking visualisations show how the world of the nucleus gives rise to our own

10 minutes

Black and white photo of a vintage propeller aircraft flying in a clear sky.

essayPhilosophy of science

The forces of chance

Social scientists cling to simple models of reality – with disastrous results. Instead they must embrace chaos theory

Brian Klaas

3D rendering of a green, abstract, textured structure resembling dense tangled fibres on a black background.

videoNeuroscience

This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience

2 minutes

A kingfisher underwater catching a fish amid rising bubbles.

essayComplexity

Problem-solving matter

Life is starting to look a lot less like an outcome of chemistry and physics, and more like a computational process

David C Krakauer & Chris Kempes

A close-up of an orange and black butterfly perched on a leaf with a soft, pastel-coloured background.

essayHistory of ideas

Chaos and cause

Can a butterfly’s wings trigger a distant hurricane? The answer depends on the perspective you take: physics or human agency

Erik Van Aken

Three colourful cell spheres with glowing pink and blue nuclei on a black background, showing cellular structures in vibrant detail.

videoBiology

Explore a bioluminescent world of cellular life via cutting-edge microscopy

27 minutes

Close-up of a leafcutter ant cutting a vibrant green and pink leaf with distinct veins, showcasing the intricate patterns and the ant’s detailed body.

videoAnimals and humans

An artist and ants collaborate on an exhibit of ‘tiny Abstract Expressionist paintings’

5 minutes

Abstract depiction of two galaxies, one on the left with spiral arms and bright centre, and one on the right with swirling patterns and luminous core.

videoPhysics

There’s a striking link between quantum and astronomic scales. What could it mean?

5 minutes

Satellite image of planet Earth at night showing the Nile River illuminated with city lights surrounded by darkness.

essayCities

Cities that grow themselves

They are spreading like branching plants across the globe. Should we rein cities in or embrace their biomorphic potential?

Josh Berson

A forest at night illuminated by many glowing fireflies, creating a magical atmosphere with their yellow lights.

essayBiology

Living orbs of light

Solving the mystery of how and why fireflies flash in time can illuminate the physics of complex systems

Orit Peleg

A dense forest with tall trees covered in moss, lush green foliage and ferns on the forest floor.

essayEcology and environmental sciences

Nature’s playbook

From termite queens to the carbon cycle, nature knows how to avoid network collapse. Human designers should pay heed

Ruth DeFries

A young shepherd boy holding a stick, standing among cattle in a rural landscape with hills and a cloudy sky in the background.

essayAnthropology

What pastoralists know

Pastoralists are experts in managing extreme variability. In a volatile world economy, bankers should learn how they do it

Ian Scoones

Two basketball players in action, one holding running past the other while holding the ball, with a crowd and referee in the background.

essayComplexity

All stars

Is a great team more than the sum of its players? Complexity science reveals the role of strategy, synergy, swarming and more

Jessica Flack & Cade Massey

A deserted city street flanked by tall buildings, leading to a large historic building in the background under a clear sky.

essayComplexity

Uncertain times

The pandemic is an unprecedented opportunity – seeing human society as a complex system opens a better future for us all

Jessica Flack & Melanie Mitchell

Digital illustration of a small white mammal emerging from a burrow in a post-apocalyptic landscape with falling meteors and smoke.

essayEvolution

Catastrophes and calms

Evolution is extraordinarily creative in the wake of a cataclysm. How does life keep steadily ticking over in between?

Renée A Duckworth

A narrow road in a forest with a white SUV that has veered off and lies on its side by the trees on the left side of the road.

essayPhysics

From chaos to free will

A crude understanding of physics sees determinism at work in the Universe. Luckily, molecular uncertainty ensures this isn’t so

George Ellis

A quantum computer’s golden, intricate hardware with wires and components against a dark background, partially visible.

essayThe future

At the limits of thought

Science today stands at a crossroads: will its progress be driven by human minds or by the machines that we’ve created?

David C Krakauer

Aerial photo of a cityscape with tall buildings, a large spherical structure, an empty wide road and trees lining a park area on the right.

essayTechnology and the self

Collaborators in creation

Our world is a system, in which physical and social technologies co-evolve. How can we shape a process we don’t control?

Doyne Farmer, Fotini Markopoulou, Eric Beinhocker & Steen Rasmussen

Painting of a room with a blue vase on a table, a blue door in the background and a white cat sitting by the door.

essayBiology

Life ≠ alive

A cat is alive, a sofa is not: that much we know. But a sofa is also part of life. Information theory tells us why

Michael Lachmann & Sara Walker

A smiling snowman with a carrot nose, black eyes and smile, wearing a colourful scarf and a snow-covered blue woollen hat.

ideaComputing and artificial intelligence

How do you teach a car that a snowman won’t walk across the road?

Melanie Mitchell

Silhouetted people stand inside a modern building with large windows and geometric architecture at night.

essayPhilosophy of science

The blind spot

It’s tempting to think science gives a God’s-eye view of reality. But we forget the place of human experience at our peril

Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser & Evan Thompson

Red autumn leaves on a branch against a pale blue sky, highlighting the intricate veins and shapes of the leaves.

ideaComplexity

When science hits a limit, learn to ask different questions

Chris Kempes & Van Savage

Aerial photo of a city skyline with numerous skyscrapers and a mix of residential buildings in the foreground, under a hazy sky.

ideaEngineering

What would it take to build a tower as high as outer space?

Sean Sun & Dan Popescu