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Ecosystems are networks so intricate that their survival or collapse is extremely difficult to predict. However, by mapping the lifespans and studying the resilience of different ecosystems around the world, network scientists at Northeastern University are working to create a common mathematical framework that could anticipate – and help us prevent – the collapse of at-risk ecosystems like commercial fisheries. Potentially, the model could even be used to predict the spread of epidemics and assess the stability of financial networks. The full paper is available at Nature.
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Neuroscience
The brain repurposed our sense of physical distance to understand social closeness
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Art
Grotesque imagery meets religious conservatism in Hieronymus Bosch’s art
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Physics
Spectacular fractal patterns emerge when electricity meets a wooden surface
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Mathematics
How a verbal paradox shattered the notion of total certainty in mathematics
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Values and beliefs
How a God-fearing Jewish woman found atheism – and bacon – in her later years
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War and peace
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Metaphysics
To see the Universe more clearly, think in terms of processes, not objects
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Computing and artificial intelligence
How machine learning can help historians decode ancient inscriptions
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Animals and humans
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