Complexity Digest 2003.25

23-Jun-2003

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Content

  1. Brain Experts Now Follow the Money, NYTimes
    1. Psychology And Economics: Strategizing In The Brain, Science
    2. The Neural Basis of Economic Decision-Making in the Ultimatum Game, Science
    3. Certainly Nondeterministic, Science
  2. Untangling Underperformance, McKinsey Quarterly
  3. Do Habits Raise Consumption Growth?, Res. in Econ.
    1. Husbands' And Wives' View Of The Family Finances, J. Socio-Economics
  4. Consumption Dynamics And Technological Change -Exemplified By The Mobile Phones, Ecol. Economics
  5. Probabilistic Representation Of Complexity, J. Econ. Theory
  6. The Self-Organization Of Space And Time, Phil. Tran. A
    1. Self-Organization And Complexity: A New Age For Theory, Computation And Experiment, Phil. Tran. A
  7. Charting the Evolutionary History of Life, Science
    1. Evolution of the Protein Repertoire, Science
    2. The Deep Roots of Eukaryotes, Science
    3. Phylogenomics: Intersection of Evolution and Genomics, Science
  8. Functional Information: Molecular Messages, Nature
  9. Sustained Microtubule Treadmilling in Arabidopsis Cortical Arrays, Science
  10. Technology Elite Are Focusing Next on Human Body, NYTimes
  11. Emergent Constraints On Word-Learning: A Computational Perspective, Trends in Cognitive Sciences
    1. The Remarkable Inefficiency Of Word Recognition, Nature
  12. Finding Genes Underlying Risk Of Complex Disease, Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
  13. Science as a Way of Life: Perplexities of a Physician-Scientist, Science
  14. Jordan Education Initiative to Roll Out e-Learning, World Economic Forum
  15. Antennas Get Smart, Scientific American
  16. Computing's Big Shift: Flexibility in the Chips, NYTimes
  17. Nanotechnology: Convergence With Modern Biology And Medicine, Current Opinion in Biotechnology
  18. Emergent Phenomena And The Sociology Of Disaster, Disaster Prevention & Management
    1. Potential Environmental Impact of a Hydrogen Economy on the Stratosphere, Science
  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
    1. Remote Sub Can Patrol Shores; AUVs Find New Purpose In Anti-terror Age, ScienceDaily
    2. False Terrorism Tips to F.B.I. Uproot the Lives of Suspects, NYTimes
  20. Links & Snippets
    1. Other Publications
    2. Coming and Ongoing Webcasts
    3. Conference Announcements & Call for Papers
    4. ComDig Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test

  1. Brain Experts Now Follow the Money, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: To explore economic decision making, researchers are scanning the brains of people as they engage in a variety of games designed by experimental economists. The exercises are intended to make people anticipate what others will do or what others will infer from the person's own actions. The games also reveal some fundamental facts about the brain that economists are just beginning to learn and appreciate: (...), neural systems tap into gut feelings and emotions, comparing what we know from the past with what is happening right now.

    1. Psychology And Economics: Strategizing In The Brain, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Most economic theories minimize the influence of human emotions and assume that what people believe and choose follows rationality principles. Important principles include knowing how much of one valuable good is worth one unit of another; following the rules of probability in processing information; planning ahead; resisting temptation; and guessing accurately what others will do. (...) An emerging field of study called "behavioral economics" takes advantage of dramatic advances in psychology and neuroscience. Behavioral economics replaces strong rationality assumptions with more realistic ones and explores their implications

    2. The Neural Basis of Economic Decision-Making in the Ultimatum Game, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: The nascent field of neuroeconomics seeks to ground economic decisionmaking in the biological substrate of the brain. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging of Ultimatum Game players to investigate neural substrates of cognitive and emotional processes involved in economic decision-making. (...) We scanned players as they responded to fair and unfair proposals. Unfair offers elicited activity in brain areas related to both emotion (anterior insula) and cognition (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Further, significantly heightened activity in anterior insula for rejected unfair offers suggests an important role for emotions in decision-making.

    3. Certainly Nondeterministic, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpt: (...) Glimcher describes the fallacies of medieval, Renaissance, and more recent philosophical, medical, and mathematical studies that link mind to behavior. Here he focuses on Descartes's dualism of deterministic (physical) and nondeterministic (soul and mind) processes, which opened the way to the use of experimental methods to investigate the (physical) processes of the body and supported the preceding first anatomical dissections by Vesalius. However, according to Glimcher, these views also provoked the attempts of Frege, Hilbert, Russel, Whitehead, Godel, and Turing to create complete, consistent, and provable mathematical systems, which essentially avoid Epimenides' paradox ("I am a liar"). The results were self-referential and antinomic theorems suggesting that mathematical systems are either incomplete or inconsistent.
      • Source: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain The Science of Neuroeconomics, Paul W. Glimcher, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003. 395 pp. $37.95, ¢FG25.50. ISBN 0-262-07244-0.

  2. Untangling Underperformance, McKinsey Quarterly Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Here is the paradox: many companies know they have great strategies and great people, but their performance doesn't meet the aspirations(...). Unclear accountability at the top may be symptomatic of a serious power vacuum within the leadership group, and this may be spurring business units to become more autonomous. Trying to fix what is actually an effect of the problem rather than the cause won't solve anything. (...) Getting more people to step inside the company's workings and uncover the complex roots of underperformance can be the first step toward developing lasting solutions.

  3. Do Habits Raise Consumption Growth?, Res. in Econ. Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: The paper shows that two of the most common specifications of habits (...) may easily come to opposite conclusions regarding household behavior. In response to an increase in the strength of habits, young households increase the rate of consumption growth in the case of subtractive habits, while they lower the rate of consumption growth in the case of the multiplicative specification of habit formation. This result reflects the fact that, contrary to what is suggested by the literature so far, there exists no generally accepted definition of habits in terms of what habits imply for household behavior.
    • Source: Do Habits Raise Consumption Growth?, R. Wendner - ronald.wendnerauni-graz.at, DOI: 10.1016/S1090-9443(03)00018-8, Jun. 2003
    • Contributed by Pritha Das - prithadas01ayahoo.com

    1. Husbands' And Wives' View Of The Family Finances, J. Socio-Economics Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Abstract: Do husbands and wives have the same view of the family's financial situation? This research shows that when couples are asked separately about finances, very different views emerge of income and wealth. Quantifying the gap between husbands' and wives' financial statements shows half of all couples provide family income values that differ by more than 10% and net worth values that differ by more than 30%. The typical husband states the family receives more income each year and holds more gross assets than his wife states. The typical wife reports the family owes more debts than her husband.

  4. Consumption Dynamics And Technological Change -Exemplified By The Mobile Phones, Ecol. Economics Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: The present paper deals with the dynamics underlying the consumption of new commodities, especially mobile phones (...). The project was basically motivated by environmental and distributional concerns, and the purpose is first to reveal some important consumption dynamics at work on the micro level (...). The study illustrates how consumption drives are deeply embedded in the considerations, themes and complexities of everyday life, showing few signs of satiation in the short term. Moreover, our findings on domestication indicate that some environmentally costly trends in everyday life appear to continue.

  5. Probabilistic Representation Of Complexity, J. Econ. Theory Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: We introduce a framework to study individuals' behavior in environments that are deterministic, but too complex to permit tractable deterministic representations. An agent in these environments uses a probabilistic model to cope with his inability to think through all contingencies in advance. We interpret this probabilistic model as embodying all patterns the agent perceives, yet allowing for the possibility that there may be important details he had missed. (...) it is consistent with an agent who believes his environment is too complex to warrant precise planning, foregoes finely detailed contingent rules in favor of vaguer plans, and expresses a preference for flexibility.
    • Source: Probabilistic Representation Of Complexity, N. I. Al-Najjar - al-najjaranwu.edu, r. c. masanell, e. ozdenoren, DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5193(03)00069-9, Jul. 2003
    • Contributed by Pritha Das - prithadas01ayahoo.com

  6. The Self-Organization Of Space And Time, Phil. Tran. A Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Self-organization is clearly relevant to biology, chemistry, Earth science, economics and other sciences that have to deal with big and complicated issues. This paper shows that self-organization also has a great deal to do with fundamental physics, including quantum mechanics, relativity, quantum gravity and cosmology. This paper also aims to give some insight into what self-organization means and discusses questions such as the kinds of methods that can be used to understand self-organization and how self-organization relates to other modes of explanation such as reductionism.

    1. Self-Organization And Complexity: A New Age For Theory, Computation And Experiment, Phil. Tran. A Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Abstract: I first describe the notion of self-organization as a property of far-from-equilibrium nonlinear dissipative dynamical systems. (...) I focus attention on the emergent nature of this complexity, by analysing a few examples of physical and physicochemical systems with simple underlying microscopic dynamics yet complex, self-organizing macroscopic properties. These include several mesoscopic models of fluid dynamics as well as a modern approach to nucleation and growth phenomena. Finally, I discuss how the advent of computational grids is set to provide a major boost to the study of such complex, self-organizing systems.

  7. Charting the Evolutionary History of Life, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: We are part of a tree of life that germinated at the dawn of evolutionary history and encompasses a vast diversity (...). Since the advent of molecular techniques for studying phylogenies, there has been active and sometimes acrimonious debate concerning the relative reliability and accuracy of the molecular and fossil records. These debates have involved not only questions of phylogenetic relationships but also the dating of the origins of the major branches of the tree. As more data accumulate from both sources, there are encouraging signs of rapprochement, (...).

    1. Evolution of the Protein Repertoire, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: During the course of evolution, forms of life with increasing complexity have arisen. What are the mechanisms that have produced the increases in protein repertoires that underlie the evolution of more complex forms of life? How are proteins organized to form pathways? Answers to such questions at the molecular level began to appear 40 years ago (1), but it is only with the advent of complete genome sequences that we have begun to get a comprehensive view.

    2. The Deep Roots of Eukaryotes, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Abstract: Most cultivated and characterized eukaryotes can be confidently assigned to one of eight major groups. After a few false starts, we are beginning to resolve relationships among these major groups as well. However, recent developments are radically revising this picture again, particularly (i)the discovery of the likely antiquity and taxonomic diversity of ultrasmall eukaryotes, and (ii)a fundamental rethinking of the position of the root. Together these data suggest major gaps in our understanding simply of what eukaryotes are or, when it comes to the tree, even which end is up.

    3. Phylogenomics: Intersection of Evolution and Genomics, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Although it is generally accepted that genome sequences are excellent tools for studying evolution, it is perhaps less well accepted that evolutionary analysis is a powerful tool in studies of genome sequences. In particular, evolutionary analysis helps to place comparative genomic studies in perspective. Researchers can begin to understand how and even why some of the similarities and differences in genomes came to be, for example, the presence and absence of genes, (...), and global patterns of synteny (conserved gene order) across species.

  8. Functional Information: Molecular Messages, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: But the recent deluge of phylogenetic sequence data provides thousands of examples of related but different sequences encoding essentially identical structures and functions. More radical are the accumulating examples of both RNA and protein molecules with entirely different structures but similar biochemical functions (for example, various structurally distinct protease enzymes have been identified). Such examples raise important questions about the nature of the information content of biological sequences. How best can we define and quantify the information content of biopolymer sequences?

  9. Sustained Microtubule Treadmilling in Arabidopsis Cortical Arrays, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Plant cells create highly structured microtubule arrays at the cell cortex without a central organizing center to anchor the microtubule ends. In vivo imaging of individual microtubules in Arabidopsis plants revealed that new microtubules are initiated at the cell cortex and exhibit dynamics at both ends. Polymerization-biased dynamic instability at one end and slow depolymerization at the other end result in sustained microtubule migration across the cell cortex by a hybrid treadmilling mechanism. This motility causes widespread microtubule repositioning and contributes to changes in array organization through microtubule reorientation and bundling.

  10. Technology Elite Are Focusing Next on Human Body, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: With the aid of a growing number of technological tools, people can now know far more than ever before about the state of their health. (...) Most people know, for instance, that they should eat better or exercise or not smoke, but they don't. Technology can help, the argument goes, by allowing more precise self-monitoring or enabling patients to transmit the information to health care professionals. People are more likely to change their behavior, this idea has it, when they know someone is watching them.

  11. Emergent Constraints On Word-Learning: A Computational Perspective, Trends in Cognitive Sciences Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: In learning the meanings of words, children are guided by a set of constraints that give privilege to some potential meanings over others. These word-learning constraints are sometimes viewed as part of a specifically linguistic endowment. However, several recent computational models suggest concretely how word-learning - constraints included - might emerge from more general aspects of cognition, such as associative learning, attention and rational inference. This article reviews these models, highlighting the link between general cognitive forces and the word-learning they subserve. Ultimately, these cognitive forces might leave their mark not just on language learning, but also on language itself: in constraining the space of possible meanings, they place limits on cross-linguistic semantic variation.

    1. The Remarkable Inefficiency Of Word Recognition, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Do we recognize common objects by parts, or as wholes? (...) Familiar objects become special as people become expert at judging them, (...). Letters and words were designed to be easily recognized, and, through a lifetime of reading, our visual system presumably has adapted to do this as well as it possibly can. Here we show that in identifying familiar English words, even the five most common three-letter words, observers have the handicap predicted by recognition by parts: a word is unreadable unless its letters are separately identifiable.

  12. Finding Genes Underlying Risk Of Complex Disease, Current Opinion in Genetics & Development Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Identification of genes that harbor variation associated with inter-individual differences in risk of complex diseases remains one of the most challenging and important problems in human genetics. For genetic variants that are sufficiently common and have sufficiently large effects, direct tests of association through linkage disequilibrium with anonymous SNPs may prove effective. But the two critical parameters - the frequency of risk-inflating alleles and the magnitudes of their effect on risk - remain largely unknown. In this review we consider the latest information regarding the likely efficacy of the linkage disequilibrium mapping approach.

  13. Science as a Way of Life: Perplexities of a Physician-Scientist, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: The very skills and time that will be necessary for the wise clinicians of the future to invest in the study of individual patterns of disease progression are the very features that profit-driven, high-throughput care systems eschew and that insurers will refuse to cover. If predictions that the medications of the future will be molecularly tailored to individual needs hold true, the cost of getting such tailored medications through a drug- approval process that demands that consumers receive risk-free efficacy will simply be prohibitive.

  14. Jordan Education Initiative to Roll Out e-Learning, World Economic Forum Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Ninety-six so-called "Discovery Schools" have been selected to pilot the scheme in Jordan. They will serve as a test bed of how ICT can enable new systems to be used and benefit schools and their pupils. Though focused on the advancement of learning in Jordan, the plan also provides the opportunity for the sustained development of the local information technology industry through infrastructure and e-content development activity. The Initiative also supports the Jordanian government's vision of building a knowledge economy by providing lifelong learning opportunities for all Jordanian citizens (...).

  15. Antennas Get Smart, Scientific American Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: One solution to this problem lies in a new class of radio antennas that could dramatically reduce man-made interference. Instead of wastefully broadcasting personal communications--such as cell-phone calls--in all directions, these innovative antennas track the positions of mobile users and deliver radio signals directly to them. These antenna systems also maximize the reception of an individual cell-phone user's signal while minimizing the interference from other users. In effect, the antennas create a virtual wire extending to each mobile phone (...).

  16. Computing's Big Shift: Flexibility in the Chips, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Under this new approach, software is able, on the fly, to effectively redraw a chip's physical circuitry. Not only can adaptive computing enable a single chip to perform tasks normally requiring several, it can add speed while saving cost and energy when compared to today's conventional static chips in which circuitry is inflexible. (...) computers that would seek out the most suitable radio frequency and wirelessly and automatically connect to the Internet (...). For a consumer, updating hardware might be as easy as downloading the latest circuit design from the Internet.

  17. Nanotechnology: Convergence With Modern Biology And Medicine, Current Opinion in Biotechnology Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: The worldwide emergence of nanoscale science and engineering was marked by the announcement of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in January 2000. Recent research on biosystems at the nanoscale has created one of the most dynamic science and technology domains at the confluence of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, biotechnology and medicine. This domain includes better understanding of living and thinking systems, revolutionary biotechnology processes, the synthesis of new drugs and their targeted delivery, regenerative medicine, neuromorphic engineering and developing a sustainable environment. Nanobiosystems research is a priority in many countries and its relevance within nanotechnology is expected to increase in the future.

  18. Emergent Phenomena And The Sociology Of Disaster, Disaster Prevention & Management Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Research on emergent behavior has been a significant topic within disaster studies. Through a detailed review of the literature we provide background information about this particular branch of disaster sociology. Following a brief discussion of the process by which literature was selected, important trends and areas of debate are discussed. These include the validation of previous findings, an expansion of the discussion on emergent phenomena and a critique of the bureaucratic approach. We conclude with implications for the theory and practice of emergency management.

    1. Potential Environmental Impact of a Hydrogen Economy on the Stratosphere, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Abstract: The widespread use of hydrogen fuel cells could have hitherto unknown environmental impacts due to unintended emissions of molecular hydrogen, including an increase in the abundance of water vapor in the stratosphere (plausibly by as much as 1 part per million by volume). This would cause stratospheric cooling, enhancement of the heterogeneous chemistry that destroys ozone, an increase in noctilucent clouds, and changes in tropospheric chemistry and atmosphere-biosphere interactions.

  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Remote Sub Can Patrol Shores; AUVs Find New Purpose In Anti-terror Age, ScienceDaily Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Researchers (...) developed an artificial neural network for use with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named Fetch. Characteristics of different fish species were compiled using the side scan sonar data. This information was then grouped into test sets used for training artificial neural networks (ANNs). The team combined the use of enhancement algorithms and image processing, in conjunction with the ANNs, to "teach" the computer to recognize the characteristics of various fish species. (...) training was successful; scientists were able to have Fetch2 recognize two marine fish species - jacks and sharks. Fishes that weren't either species couldn't fool the classifier.

    2. False Terrorism Tips to F.B.I. Uproot the Lives of Suspects, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: On a tip, her husband, (...), and eight other men were rounded up, shackled, paraded in front of a newspaper photographer and jailed for a week. The tip turned out to be false. But four of the men were then listed in a national crime registry as having been accused of terrorism, even though they were never charged, as the F.B.I. later conceded. The branding prevented them from flying, renting apartments and landing jobs. (...)a federal judge ordered that the men's names be erased from all federal crime records.

  20. Links & Snippets Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Other Publications Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Terrorism & 11 September 2001: Does The Behavioral Response To Disaster Model Fit, Henry W Fischer III, Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, Volume 11 Number 2 2002, (pp. 123 - 127)
      2. If It Looks Like a Sphere..., Exploring the newly proposed solution to a famous problem about three-dimensional shapes, Erica Klarreich, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 24, June 14, 2003, p. 378
      3. Bad Breaks Fixed Fast By Bone 'Printer', 14:08 20 June 03, Duncan Graham-Rowe, New Scientist, 03/06/20
      4. Colour Vision Ended Human Pheromone Use, New Scientist, 03/06/16, Genetic analysis suggests that being able to see in full colour led our primate ancestors to stop using pheromones to select mates
      5. Microsoft Launches Major Attack On Spam, Its 15 law suits are the biggest legal assault yet, but some campaigners suspect a marketing ploy, New Scientist, 03/06/18
      6. Nanotube Chip Could Hold 10 Gigabits, New Scientist, 03/06/17, A computer memory chip based on tiny clumps of carbon nanotubes passes a manufacturing milestone
      7. Geraniums The Key To Cheap Nanoparticles, New Scientist, 03/06/16
      8. Shyness Linked To Brain Differences, New Scientist, 03/06/19, Brain scans suggest high activity in the region linked to vigilance and fear can explain the trait, and that this activity sticks for life
      9. Smart Sound Meters Could End Noisy TV Ads, Kevin Hilton, New Scientist, 03/06/21
      10. Tales of Despair From Guantanamo, Carlotta Gall, Neil A. Lewis, NYTimes, 03/06/17
      11. From: Flouting Conventional Wisdom, Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer, Chief Executive, May 2003
      12. African Legacy: Fossils Plug Gap In Human Origins, Scientists who discovered three partial Homo sapiens skulls in Ethiopia that date to nearly 160,000 years ago say that the finds document humanity's evolution in Africa, independently of European Neandertals.2003/06/04.
      13. Full-Length Pregnancy: Progesterone Product May Reduce Premature Births, A drug related to the female hormone progesterone helps some pregnant women who are prone to premature birth extend their pregnancies, 2003/06/04.
      14. Super Fibers: Nanotubes Make Tough Threads, New fibers made from carbon nanotubes and a polymer appear tougher than any other known synthetic or natural material, 2003/06/04.
      15. Lease On Life: Old Mice Live Longer When Given Young Ovaries, Implanting young ovaries in old mice extends their life expectancy, 2003/06/04.
      16. Not So Green? Using Hydrogen As Fuel May Hurt Environment, Replacing fossil fuels with clean-burning hydrogen-considered to be a way to reduce globe-warming carbon dioxide-may create a different set of environmental problems, including larger and longer-lasting ozone holes, 2003/06/04.
      17. Fixed Focus: Adjustable Lenses From Liquid Droplets, Seasoned with a pinch of salt, droplets of a polymer precursor become voltage-adjustable lenses that may cut costs in fiberoptic telecommunications, 2003/06/04.
      18. Sharpening A Heavenly Image: Clear View Of Globular Cluster's Crowded Core, Using innovative optics to take the twinkle out of starlight, the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea has recorded the sharpest infrared images ever of a crowded grouping of Milky Way stars, 2003/06/04.
      19. Domestic Disease: Exotic pets bring pathogens home, The potentially deadly monkeypox virus has spread from Africa to people in several states via infected pet prairie dogs, 2003/06/04.
      20. Oceans Aswirl, Whirls of ocean water up to hundreds of kilometers across create biological oases, transport heat from tropical climes to cooler latitudes, and affect everything from offshore oil platforms to long-distance yacht races, 2003/06/04.
      21. Galactic RAVE, A new study of thousands of Milky Way stars and their motion toward and away from Earth should provide new clues about how our galaxy formed, 2003/06/04.
      22. Toddlers Ride Rail To Tool Use, Toddlers' ability to modify their use of a handrail as they walk across a narrow bridge represents an early example of tool use, according to two psychologists, 2003/06/04.
      23. Tiny Device Brings Out The Best In Sperm, A new device with potential use in fertility treatments separates robust sperm from stragglers by exploiting a phenomenon that occurs when two microscale fluid flows merge, 2003/06/04.
      24. A New Twist On Ropes, The centuries-old craft of splicing sturdy ropes for ships and ocean rigs gets mathematical scrutiny, turning up new information about wear and tear.
      25. Astronomers Leap To Defence Of Extra Seconds In Time Debate, Nature, doi:10.1038/423671a
      26. Physicists Doubt That 'Corking' Could Help Baseball's Big Hitter, doi:10.1038/423674a
      27. Russia's Bioweapons Labs: Still Out In The Cold, Collaborations between Western researchers and former Soviet bioweapons scientists could benefit both parties. But mistrust and bureaucracy are getting in the way, says Geoff Brumfiel.
      28. Human Evolution: Out Of Ethiopia, Chris Sringer, Newly discovered fossils from Ethiopia provide fresh evidence for the 'out of Africa' model for the origin of modern humans, and raise new questions about the precise pattern of human evolution, doi:10.1038/423692a
      29. Icy Claim That Water Has Memory, Lionel Milgrom, New Scientist, 03/06/11
      30. High-Energy Physics: Into The Fifth Dimension, Juan Maldacena, Nature 423, 695 - 696 (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/423695a
      31. Cognitive Neuroscience: Practice Doesn't Make Perfect, Wilson Geisler, Richard Murray, It may seem counterintuitive, but we are not very efficient at recognizing even the most common words. This finding suggests strict limits on how flexible we are in learning to recognize new patterns, Nature 423, (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/423696a
      32. Evolutionary Biology: Genes To Make New Species, Mohamed A. F. Noor, A long-term goal of studies of the way in which new species form has been to identify the genes involved, and the forces that drive their evolution. That goal is now being realized - and natural selection plays a major part, Nature 423, (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/423699a
      33. Super-Tough Carbon-Nanotube Fibres, Alan B. Dalton, Steve Collins, Edgar Munoz, Joselito M. Razal, Von Howard Ebron, John P. Ferraris, Jonathan N. Coleman, Bog G. Kim, Ray H. Baughman, These extraordinary composite fibres can be woven into electronic textiles, Nature 423, (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/423703a
      34. Adaptive Evolution Drives Divergence Of A Hybrid Inviability Gene Between Two Species Of Drosophila, Daven C. Presgraves, Lakshmi Balagopalan, Susan M. Abmayr, H. Allen Orr, Nature 423, (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/nature01679
      35. Generation Of Nonclassical Photon Pairs For Scalable Quantum Communication With Atomic Ensembles, A. Kuzmich, W. P. Bowen, A. D. Boozer, A. Boca, C. W. Chou, L.-M. Duan, H. J. Kimble,Nature 423, 731 - 734 (12 June 2003); doi:10.1038/nature01714
      36. Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia, Tim D. White, Berhane Asfaw, David Degusta, Henry Gilbert, Gary D. Richards, Gen Suwa & F. Clark Howell, doi:10.1038/nature01669
      37. Probabilistic Representation Of Complexity, N. I. Al-Najjar, R.  C. Masanell & E. Ozdenoren, J. Econ. Theory, Vol. 111, Issue 1, pp: 49-87, Jul. 2003, doi:10.1016/S0022-0531(03)00075-9
      38. For Better Or For Worse, Till The Human Development Index Do Us Part?, S. Morse, Ecol. Economics, Vol. 45, Issue 2, pp: 281-296, Jun. 2003, doi:10.1016/S0921-8009(03)00085-5
      39. Is It As Bad As It Sounds Or As Good As It Looks? Experiences Of Finnish Water Discharge Limits, P. Mickwitz, Ecol. Economics, Vol. 45, Issue 2, pp: 237-254, Jun. 2003, doi:10.1016/S0921-8009(03)00081-8
      40. Observer Based Chaotic Message Transmission, Ö. Morgül, E. Solak & M. Akgül, Int. J. Bifur. & Chaos, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp:1003-1017, Apr. 2003, doi:10.1142/S0218127403007072
      41. Fine-Scale Behaviour Of Bottlenose Dolphins Around Gillnets, Read & others, Proc.: Biol. Sc., 2003/06/17, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0021
      42. Practical Realisations Of Quantum Information Processing, P. Knight, E. Hinds & M. Plenio, Phil. Tran. A Release, 2003/06/18
      43. Abstraction From A Sensori-Motor Perspective: Can We Get A Quick Hold On Simple Perception?, Y. Rossetti, Phil. Tran.: Biol. Sc. , 2003/06/05, DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2003.1299
      44. Current Knowledge Of Gene Flow In Plants: Implications For Transgene Flow, N. C. Ellstrand, Phil. Tran.: Biol. Sc., Vol. 358, Number: 1434, pp:1163-1170, 2003/05/12, DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2003.1299
      45. Mechanism Of Self-Recognition In Humans, M. Jeannerod, Behav. Brain Res., Vol. 142, Issues 1-2, pp:1-15, 2003/06/16, doi:10.1016/S0166-4328(02)00384-4
      46. Kindling-Induced Emotional Behavior In Male And Female Rats, A. J. Wintink, N. A. Young, A. C. Davis, A. Gregus & L. E. Kalynchuk, Behav. Neurosc., Vol. 117, Issue 3, pp: 632-640, 2003/06/17
      47. Age-Related Deficits In Mice Performing Working Memory Tasks In A Water Maze, K. R. Magnusson, B. Scruggs, J. Aniya, K. C. Wright, T. Ontl, Y. Xing & L. Bai, Behav. Neurosc., Vol. 117, Issue 3, pp: 485-495, 2003/06/17
      48. A ‘Butler’ In Your Mobile Phone: University Of Southampton Scientists Create A Computer Agent That Aims To Make Life Less Complicated, S. Watts, Alphagalileo, 2003/06/13
      49. Night Owls Have Shorter Clock Gene, L. Tipper, Alphagalileo, 2003/06/13
      50. Blood Test Could Detect Heart Attack Early, ScienceDaily & Amer. Chemical Soc., 2003/06/13
      51. A New View Of The Crayfish Brain: MRI Technique Shows Detailed View Of Neural Pathways, ScienceDaily & Emory Univ. Health Sc. Center, 2003/06/16
      52. Birds Do It. Bugs Do It. But Why Don't We?, ScienceDaily & Univ. Of Michigan, 2003/06/17

       


    2. Coming and Ongoing Webcasts Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. World Economic Forum Extraordinary Annual Meeting, Jordan, 03/06/21-23
      2. SPIE's 1st Intl Symp on Fluctuations and Noise, Santa Fe, NM, 2003/06/01-04
      3. NAS Sackler Colloquium on Mapping Knowledge Domains, Video/Audio Report, 03/05/11
      4. Uncertainty and Surprise: Questions on Working with the Unexpected and Unknowable, The University of Texas Austin, Texas USA, 2003/04/10-12
      5. New Trends In Industrial Partnership And Innovation Management At European Research Laboratories, CERN, Geneva, 2003/03/19 (with webcast)
        1. CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
      6. Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998

       


    3. Conference Announcements & Call for Papers Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1.  2nd EXYSTENCE Thematic Institute on "Discrete and Computational Aspects of Complex Systems", Lyon, France, 03/06/15-0704
      2. 2003 Summer Computer Simulation Conference (SCSC '03), Montreal, Canada, 2003/06/20-24
      3. 5th Intl Conf "Symmetry in Nonlinear Mathematical Physics", Kiev, Ukraine, 2003/06/23-29, Mirror
      4. The 2003 World Technology Summit & World Technology Awards, San Francisco, 03/06/24-25
      5. Workshops of Dynamical Systems with Applications to Biology, Hsinchu, Taiwan, 2003/06/24-28 (Postponed!)
      6. NKS 2003 Conference & Minicourse, Boston, MA, 03/06/27-29
      7. Exystence Thematic Institute - Algorithms And Challenges In Hard Combinatorial Problems - Trieste, Italy, 03/07/01-31, Turin, Italy, 03/10/01-30
      8. The 2003 World Technology Summit & World Technology Awards, San Francisco, CA
      9. UQÀM Summer Institute in Cognitive Sciences 2003: Categorization In Cognitive Sciences, Montreal, 2003/06/30-07/11
      10. 9th International Conference on Auditory Display, Boston, MA, 2003/07/07-09, Wkshp on Assistive Technologies for the Blind, 2003/07/07-09
      11. 47th Meeting of the Intl Soc for the System Sciences: Conscious Evolution Of Humanity: Using Systems Thinking To Construct Agoras Of The Global Village, Iraklion, Crete, Greec, 2003/07/07-11
      12. 2nd International School Topics In Nonlinear Dynamics, Siena (Italy), 2003/07/09-11
      13. 2003 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2003), Chicago, IL,2003/07/12-16
      14. 2nd Intl Joint Conf on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (AAMAS-2003), Melbourne, Australia, 2003/07/14-18
      15. 7th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (SCI 2003), Orlando, Florida, 2003/07/27-30
      16. BIFURCATIONS 2003, Southampton, UK, 03/07/28-30
      17. Intl Conf on Socio Political Informatics and Cybernetics: SPIC '03, Orlando, Fl, USA, 2003/07/31-08/02
      18. 13th Annual International Conference, Soc f Chaos Theory in Psych & Life Sciences,Boston, MA, USA, 2003/08/08-10
      19. Thematic Institute "Networks and Risks", Budapest, Hungary, 03/08/25 - 09/27
      20. Conference on Growing Networks and Graphs in Statistical Physics, Finance, Biology and Social Systems, Rome, 03/09/01-05
      21. Call for Papers on Dynamical Hierarchies, Special Issue of Artificial Life, Deadline: 2003/09/05
      22. 7th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL-2003), Dortmund, Germany, 2003/09/14-17
      23. A Dual International Conference on Ethics, Complexity & Organisations & Creativity, London, UK, 2003/09/17-18
      24. 1st German Conference on Multiagent System Technologies (MATES'03), Erfurt, Germany, 2003/09/22-25
      25. Dynamics Days 2003, XXIII Annual Conference, 4 Decades of Chaos 1963-2003, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 03/09/24-27
      26. Improving The NHS Through The Lens Of Complexity, U Exeter, UK, 03/09/24-26
      27. Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 2003/09/24-25
      28. Intl School Mathematical Aspects of Quantum Chaos II Quantum Chaos on Hyperbolic Manifolds, Schloss Reisensburg (Günzburg, Germany), 03/10/04-11
      29. 2003 IEEE/WIC Intl Joint Conf. Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology, Beijing, China, 2003/10/13-17
      30. American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) 2003 Conference (H.v.Foerster), Vienna, Austria , 2003/11/10-15
      31. Trends And Perspectives In Extensive And Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics, In Honour Of The 60th Birthday Of Constantino Tsallis, Angra Dos Reis, Brazil, 2003/11/19-21
      32. ICDM '03: The Third IEEE International Conference on Data Mining, Melbourne, Florida, USA, 2003/11/19-22
      33. 3rd International Workshop on Meta-Synthesis and Complex System, Guangzhou, China, 2003/11/29-30
      34. 2nd International Workshop on the Mathematics and Algorithms of Social Insects, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 2003/12/15-17
      35. 4th Intl ICSC Symposium Engineering Of Intelligent Systems (EIS 2004), Island of Madeira, Portugal, 04/02/29-03/02
      36. Fractal 2004, "Complexity and Fractals in Nature", 8th Intl Multidisciplinary Conf , Vancouver, Canada, 2004/04/04-07
      37. Urban Vulnerability and Network Failure: Constructions and Experiences of Emergencies, Crises and Collapse, Manchester, UK, 04/04/29-30
      38. Fifth International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS2004), Boston, MA, USA, 2004/05/16-21
      39. International Symposium on HIV & Emerging Infectious Diseases, Toulon, France, 04/06/03-05

    4. ComDig Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test Bookmark and Share

      We are in the process of upgrading the Complexity Digest archives to a format with improved search capabilities. Also, we will finally be able to adequately publish the valuable feedback and comments from our knowledgable readers. You are cordially invited to become a beta tester of our new ComDig2 archive.


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