Complexity Digest 2008.45

6-Nov-2008

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Content

  1. Stone Age Innovation Out Of Africa, Science News
    1. Ages For The Middle Stone Age Of Southern Africa: Implications For Human Behavior And Dispersal, Science
    2. The Iceman's Mysterious Genetic Past, Science News
  2. Oldest Evidence For Complex Life In Doubt, Science News
  3. Economics Needs A Scientific Revolution, Nature
    1. Predicting U.S. Recessions With Dynamic Binary Response Models, Rev. Econ. & Stat.
  4. Evolution Of Trust And Trustworthiness: Social Awareness Favours Personality Differences, Proc. Biol. Sc.
  5. No Evidence For An Evolutionary Trade-Off Between Learning And Immunity In A Social Insect, Biol. Lett.
  6. Pharmaceutical Futures: A Fiendish Puzzle, Nature
  7. Physics: PhET: Simulations That Enhance Learning, Science
  8. Evolutionary Biology: Small Regulatory RNAs Pitch In, Nature
    1. New Cell Division Mechanism Discovered, ScienceDaily
  9. Neuroscience: A New Glance At Glia, Science
  10. Structural Insights Into A Circadian Oscillator, Science
  11. New Hand, Same Brain Map, Science News
  12. Mathematician Cracks Mystery Beatles Chord, ScienceDaily
  13. Biomedical Research: More Than Skin Deep, Science
    1. Biomedical Research: Paul Klee, A Tragic Metamorphosis, Science
  14. Cancer: Aneuploidy Advantages?, Science
    1. Cancer Risk Of Low Dose Ionizing Radiation: New Insights From Modern Biology Provoke More Questions And Challenges, Innovations-report
    2. Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Spread Is Explained, Innovations-report
  15. Experimental Evidence For Spatial Self-Organization And Its Emergent Effects In Mussel Bed Ecosystems, Science
  16. Cheap, Self-Assembling Optics, Technology Review
    1. Invention: Self-Replicating Materials, New Scientist
    2. Voyage Of The Bacteria Bots - Self-Propelled Microbots Navigate Through Blood Vessels, Technology Review
  17. Climate Change: Whither Hurricane Activity?, Science
  18. Condensed-Matter Physics: Sound Trap, Nature
    1. Dark Matter May Shine With Invisible 'Dark Light', New Scientist
  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
    1. Security Should Be the Deciding Issue, Wall Street Journal
  20. Links & Snippets
    1. Other Publications
    2. Webcast Announcements
    3. Conference Announcements
    4. Other Announcements

  1. Stone Age Innovation Out Of Africa, Science News Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Technological revolutions rocked our world long before the information age. Between 80,000 and 60,000 years ago, it was spurts of innovative toolmaking, rather than extreme climate changes, in southern Africa's Stone Age cultures that heralded a human exodus out of Africa, a new investigation suggests.

    Environmental changes in southern Africa, including those brought on by a massive volcanic eruption in Sumatra around 74,000 years ago, played a secondary role at best in instigating ancient cultural advances and intercontinental migrations, (...). Other researchers regard ancient climate fluctuations as key motivators of human movement out of Africa.

    1. Ages For The Middle Stone Age Of Southern Africa: Implications For Human Behavior And Dispersal, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Dating of the first use of symbols and jewelry in South Africa shows that the emergence of modern human behavior was not influenced by just environmental factors.

      The expansion of modern human populations in Africa 80,000 to 60,000 years ago and their initial exodus out of Africa have been tentatively linked to two phases of technological and behavioral innovation within the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa¡Xthe Still Bay and Howieson's Poort industries¡Xthat are associated with early evidence for symbols and personal ornaments. Establishing the correct sequence of events, however, has been hampered by inadequate chronologies.

    2. The Iceman's Mysterious Genetic Past, Science News Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Further genetic studies of modern Europeans might identify some who belong to what Rollo's group has dubbed "Oetzi's branch."

      "Through the analysis of a complete mitochondrial genome in a particularly well-preserved body, we have obtained evidence of a significant genetic difference between present-day Europeans and a prehistoric human, despite the fact that the Iceman is only about 5,000 years old," Rollo says.

  2. Oldest Evidence For Complex Life In Doubt, Science News Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts:
    The isotopic composition of this pyrobitumen, one form in which carbon is preserved in rock, suggests that one of the earliest known markers for complex life may be younger than thought.
    Chemical biomarkers in ancient Australian rocks, once thought to be the oldest known evidence of complex life on Earth, may have infiltrated long after the sediments were laid down, new analyses suggest.

    The evidence was based on biomarkers - distinctive chemical compounds produced today by modern-day relatives of cyanobacteria and other complex life forms. In 1999, a team of researchers contended that the biomarkers in the 2.7-billion-year-old rocks pushed back the origins of cyanobacteria by at least 550 million years and of eukaryotes by about a billion years.

  3. Economics Needs A Scientific Revolution, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Financial engineers have put too much faith in untested axioms and faulty models, (...). To prevent economic havoc, that needs to change.

    Compared with physics, it seems fair to say that the quantitative success of the economic sciences has been disappointing. Rockets fly to the Moon; energy is extracted from minute changes of atomic mass. What is the flagship achievement of economics? Only its recurrent inability to predict and avert crises, including the current worldwide credit crunch.

    1. Predicting U.S. Recessions With Dynamic Binary Response Models, Rev. Econ. & Stat. Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Abstract: We develop dynamic binary probit models and apply them for predicting U.S. recessions using the interest rate spread as the driving predictor. The new models use lags of the binary response (a recession dummy) to forecast its future values and allow for the potential forecast power of lags of the underlying conditional probability. We show how multiperiod-ahead forecasts are computed iteratively using the same one-period-ahead model. Iterated forecasts that apply specific lags supported by statistical model selection procedures turn out to be more accurate than previously used direct forecasts based on horizon-specific model specifications.

  4. Evolution Of Trust And Trustworthiness: Social Awareness Favours Personality Differences, Proc. Biol. Sc. Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: Interest in the evolution and maintenance of personality is burgeoning. Individuals of diverse animal species differ in their aggressiveness, fearfulness, sociability and activity. Strong trade-offs, mutation-selection balance, spatio-temporal fluctuations in selection, frequency dependence and good-genes mate choice are invoked to explain heritable personality variation, yet for continuous behavioural traits, it remains unclear which selective force is likely to maintain distinct polymorphisms. Using a model of trust and cooperation, we show how allowing individuals to monitor each other's cooperative tendencies, at a cost, can select for heritable polymorphisms in trustworthiness. (...)

  5. No Evidence For An Evolutionary Trade-Off Between Learning And Immunity In A Social Insect, Biol. Lett. Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: The immune response affects learning and memory in insects. Given this and the known fitness costs of both the immune system and learning, does an evolutionary trade-off exist between these two systems? We tested this by measuring the learning ability of 12 bumble-bee (...). We then tested their immune response using the zone of inhibition assay. We found a positive relationship between colony learning performance and immune response, that is, fast-learning colonies also show high levels of antimicrobial activity. We conclude that there is no a priori reason to demand an evolutionary relationship between two traits that are linked physiologically.

  6. Pharmaceutical Futures: A Fiendish Puzzle, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: When genomics matured at the turn of the century, much of the industry was convinced that individual genes would emerge as the new drug targets. But that reductionist bubble soon burst: the more that geneticists and molecular biologists have discovered, the more complicated most diseases have become. As individual genes have fallen out of favour, 'systems' - multitudes of genes, proteins and other molecules interacting in an almost infinite number of ways - have come into vogue. Systems biology is an attempt to make sense of all these data.

  7. Physics: PhET: Simulations That Enhance Learning, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Summary: A library of interactive computer simulations aids physics instruction worldwide.

    Research on learning shows that students learn better when they construct their own understanding of scientific ideas within the framework of their existing knowledge. To accomplish this process, students must be motivated to actively engage with the content and must be able to learn from that engagement. Interactive computer simulations can meet both of these needs. A growing body of research analyzes their design and use. Here, we summarize some of the research of the Physics Education Technology (PhET) project, particularly that related to simulations and student motivation.

  8. Evolutionary Biology: Small Regulatory RNAs Pitch In, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: How did organismal complexity evolve at a cellular level, and how does a genome encode it? The answer might lie in differences, not in the number of genes an organism has, but rather in the regulation of gene expression.

    It is commonly believed that complex organisms arose from simple ones. Yet analyses of genomes and of their transcribed genes in various organisms reveal that, as far as protein-coding genes are concerned, the repertoire of a sea anemone - a rather simple, evolutionarily basal animal - is almost as complex as that of a human.

    1. New Cell Division Mechanism Discovered, ScienceDaily Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: A novel cell division mechanism has been discovered in a microorganism that thrives in hot acid. The finding may also result in insights into key processes in human cells, and in a better understanding of the main evolutionary lineages of life on Earth. (...) has identified a completely cell division machinery. The discovery was made in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a microorganism belonging to the third domain of life, the Archaea, which originally was isolated from a hot spring in Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, USA. Because of the extreme conditions, in which the cells grow optimally in acid at 80ºC, the organism is of interest (...).

  9. Neuroscience: A New Glance At Glia, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: In more general terms, these studies (3, 4) help to clarify the role of glial cells in metazoa with different degrees of complexity. In small "primitive" animals such as polyps, single sensory and ganglion neurons are scattered throughout the tissue, without any associated glia-like cells; this can be thought of as the single-cell stage of nervous system complexity (see the figure). Obviously, these single neurons do not require glial cells to differentiate, function, or survive.

  10. Structural Insights Into A Circadian Oscillator, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: An endogenous circadian system in cyanobacteria exerts pervasive control over cellular processes, including global gene expression. Indeed, the entire chromosome undergoes daily cycles of topological changes and compaction. The biochemical machinery underlying a circadian oscillator can be reconstituted in vitro with just three cyanobacterial proteins, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. These proteins interact to promote conformational changes and phosphorylation events that determine the phase of the in vitro oscillation.

  11. New Hand, Same Brain Map, Science News Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts:
    Four months after his December 2006 hand transplant, David Savage's partial sense of touch in the new right hand activated the same brain area that would have controlled his original right hand 35 years earlier. The photo at left was taken shortly after the transplant, while the photo at right was taken one year after the procedure.
    Credit: Jewish Hospital, Kleinert Kutz, and University of Louisville
    Four months after his December 2006 transplant, Savage's partial sense of touch in the new hand activated the same brain area that would have controlled his original right hand 35 years earlier, say neuroscientist Scott Frey of the University of Oregon in Eugene and colleagues. (...)

    When Savage had both hands, part of his right brain responded to his left hand, and a corresponding part of his left brain responded to his right hand. After the amputation, that same part of his left brain would have been sensory-deprived and thus ready to adopt duties of adjacent sensory areas, such as those for the right arm and possibly his face.

  12. Mathematician Cracks Mystery Beatles Chord, ScienceDaily Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: It's the most famous chord in rock 'n' roll, an instantly recognizable twang rolling through the open strings on George Harrison's 12-string Rickenbacker. It evokes a Pavlovian response from music fans as they sing along (...). The opening chord to A Hard Day's Night is also famous because for 40 years, no one quite knew exactly what chord Harrison was playing. (...) mathematician to figure out the exact formula. (...) The process allowed him to decompose the sound into its original frequencies using computer software and parse out which notes were on the record. (...)

  13. Biomedical Research: More Than Skin Deep, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Scientists still don't know what causes scleroderma, a complex disease often marked by toughening skin and widespread internal fibrosis, but they're developing potential treatments nonetheless. (...)

    Although scleroderma affects as many as 300,000 Americans and kills roughly 10,000 every year, this autoimmune disease remains an enigma and far from the public's radar. Its cause--or causes--remains murky. Genetic and environmental studies have yielded few clues, as the disease seems to strike almost at random.

    1. Biomedical Research: Paul Klee, A Tragic Metamorphosis, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: "His style and technique really did change and evolve," says Varga. In one late work, Captive, Klee painted a grotesque self-portrait that includes representations of cagelike bars. Scleroderma patients often say they feel "imprisoned within their own bodies," says Varga.

  14. Cancer: Aneuploidy Advantages?, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: The role of aneuploidy--the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes--in cancer has been at the center of debate for almost a century. Although aneuploidy is a hallmark of most tumor cells, whether it is a cause or a consequence of the malignant transformation (oncogenesis) has not been clear. In 1914, German biologist Theodor Boveri postulated that aneuploidy arising from altered cell division (mitosis) might lead to oncogenesis. However, recent studies with genetically modified organisms have kept the issue open to argument.

    1. Cancer Risk Of Low Dose Ionizing Radiation: New Insights From Modern Biology Provoke More Questions And Challenges, Innovations-report Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Thanks to the European project (...) has come to an end today, we now know more about the biological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. Started in January 2004, the project carried out research to contribute to the improvement of the management of health risks attributable to low dose exposures (...). New evidence concerning the processes that drive radiation carcinogenesis has been obtained. Some evidence was given that high and low dose responses can differ, and that a range of dose response relationships exist for cancer relevant phenomena. (...) results (...) highlight the complexity of the biological response to radiation at different dose levels (...).

    2. Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Spread Is Explained, Innovations-report Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Scientists have discovered the two key processes that allow cancer cells to change the way they move in order to spread through the body, (...). The progression of cancer cells from one part of the body to another ("metastasis") is one of the biggest problems in curing cancer, therefore this research brings new hope of future therapies to fight cancer. (...) "The spreading of cancer cells from one part of the body to another, called metastasis, is one of the biggest causes of death from cancer. By explaining a key part of that process, our research brings new hope for future therapies to fight cancer. (...)

  15. Experimental Evidence For Spatial Self-Organization And Its Emergent Effects In Mussel Bed Ecosystems, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Spatial self-organization is the main theoretical explanation for the global occurrence of regular or otherwise coherent spatial patterns in ecosystems. Using mussel beds as a model ecosystem, we provide an experimental demonstration of spatial self-organization. Under homogeneous laboratory conditions, mussels developed regular patterns, similar to those in the field. An individual-based model derived from our experiments showed that interactions between individuals explained the observed patterns.

  16. Cheap, Self-Assembling Optics, Technology Review Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts:
    Light tricks: This cuvette contains a solution of silver nanoparticles in the process of self-assembling into a so-called plasmonic crystal whose optical properties are highly dependent on the space between the particles. At the top, the nanoparticles are relatively far apart. At the bottom of the cuvette, the nanoparticles are densely packed.
    Credit: Peidong Yang
    Researchers have made new nano building blocks for optical computing and solar-cell coatings.

    Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have created nanoscale particles that can self-assemble into various optical devices. By controlling how densely the tiny silver particles assemble themselves, the researchers can make several different kinds of devices, including photonic crystals. The self-assembling materials could be made cheaply and on a large scale. As a result, the silver nanoparticles could be used to make metamaterials, color-changing paints, components for optical computers, and ultrasensitive chemical sensors, among many other potential applications.

    1. Invention: Self-Replicating Materials, New Scientist Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Chaikin and colleagues point out that these techniques can be used to build with micrometre-sized particles of plastic, glass or metal, by coating them with DNA. Using the right sequences, they can induce such particles to assemble themselves into complex objects.

      These assemblies can in turn self-replicate by corralling other DNA-tagged particles into more versions of the same thing. Heating and cooling the mixture can forge or break the DNA bonds, and chemicals can be used to modify the binding sequences in between each round of replication so as to produce very complex structures.

    2. Voyage Of The Bacteria Bots - Self-Propelled Microbots Navigate Through Blood Vessels, Technology Review Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts:
      Plot and go: Researchers plot a trajectory for their bacteria-powered microrobots, which are guided using an MRI machine.
      Credit: The NanoRobotics Laboratory, ?cole Polytechnique de Montr?al (EPM)
      Martel's team is the first to show that such hybrids can be steered through the body using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

      To do this, Martel used bacteria that naturally contain magnetic particles. In nature, these particles help the bacteria navigate toward deeper water, away from oxygen. "Those nanoparticles form a chain a bit like a magnetic compass needle," says Martel. But by changing the surrounding magnetic field using an extended set-up coupled to an MRI machine, Martel and his colleagues were able to make the bacteria propel themselves in any direction they wanted.

  17. Climate Change: Whither Hurricane Activity?, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Alternative interpretations of the relationship between sea surface temperature and hurricane activity imply vastly different future Atlantic hurricane activity. (...)

    We stand on the cusp of potentially large changes to Atlantic hurricane activity. The issue is not whether SST [Sea Surface Temperature, Ed.] is a predictor of this activity but how it is a predictor. Given the evidence suggesting that relative SST controls hurricane activity, efforts to link changes in hurricane activity to absolute SST must not be based solely on statistical relationships but must also offer alternative theories and models that can be used to test the physical arguments underlying this premise.

  18. Condensed-Matter Physics: Sound Trap, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Since the 1950s, physicists have known that a very disordered material can trap electrons. This is because of the electron's wave behaviour. When the degree of disorder is sufficient, the electron waves can become 'localized' in a single spot.

    This trapping behaviour is complex, but John Page at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, and his colleagues have created an analogous but simpler system for sound waves. They fused small aluminium ball-bearings together and, using ultrasound, were able to observe sound waves become trapped in the disordered aluminium structures.

    1. Dark Matter May Shine With Invisible 'Dark Light', New Scientist Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Their calculations showed that it could have as much as 1% of the strength of the electromagnetic force and not conflict with any observations.

      If the force is close to this strength, its effects might be detectable, as it should affect how dark matter clumps together.

      "It might even help with some niggling problems we have now," says team member Sean Carroll. For example, it might explain why there are fewer dwarf galaxies than models predict.

      Carroll even speculates that more complex dark matter might exist, forming dark matter atoms with their own chemistry - and maybe biology.

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

    1. Security Should Be the Deciding Issue, Wall Street Journal Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: The next president will not break this string of fighting presidents. He will inherit two ongoing wars involving more than 180,000 troops. He will face two global enemies -- al Qaeda and Iranian terror networks, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Quds Force and Hezbollah.

      It is important to note here the distinction between an enemy and a threat. Threats are problems to be concerned about in the future; enemies are organizations trying to kill Americans right now. Al Qaeda and Iranian agents are both killing Americans on a regular basis and have proclaimed their determination to kill more. They are enemies, not threats, and they will confront the next president from day one.

  20. Links & Snippets Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Other Publications Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Sprint And Endurance Power And Ageing: An Analysis Of Master Athletic World Records, J. Rittweger, P. E. di Prampero, N. Maffulli, M. V. Narici, 2008/10/28, Proceedings B: Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1319
      2. Satellites Approach The Shannon Limit: Satellites Are Achieving Unparalleled Efficiency With A New Protocol, DVB-S2., 2008/10/31, Innovations-report
      3. Top 10 Technology Flaws In Films: Film Errors That Set Your Teeth On Edge, I. Thomson, S. Nichols, 2008/11/01, vnunet.com
      4. Scientists Identify Machinery That Helps Make Memories, 2008/11/01, ScienceDaily & Duke University Medical Center
      5. Beyond Recognizing Odors, Single Neuron Controls Reactions In Worm, 2008/11/02, ScienceDaily & Rockefeller University
      6. Magnet Restores Colour Perception In Partially-Sighted Patient, 2008/11/03, Innovations-report
      7. Bifurcation Analysis Of An Impact Model For Forest Fire Prediction, F. Bizzarri - federico.bizzarriaunige.it, M. Storace - marco.storaceaunige.it, A. Colombo - alessandro.colomboapolimi.it, Aug. 2008, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, DOI: 10.1142/S0218127408021701
      8. Formal Theory Building For The Avalanche Game: Explaining Counter-Intuitive Behaviour Of A Complex System Using Geometrical And Human Behavioural/Physiological Effects, D. C. Lane - d.c.lanealse.ac.uk, Jul. 2008, Online 2008/09/24, Systems Research and Behavioral Science, DOI: 10.1002/sres.911
      9. Market Distortions When Agents Are Better Informed: The Value Of Information In Real Estate Transactions, S. D. Levitt, C. Syverson, Nov. 2008, Online 2008/09/17, Review of Economics and Statistics, DOI: 10.1162/rest.90.4.599

    2. Webcast Announcements Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Can Ants Solve Traffic Jams?, Danielle Parsons, Slatev.com, 08/07/22

        As roads and highways become ever more clogged, Danielle Parsons tells us how researchers are studying ways to learn from nature's own traffic-flow experts: ants.

      2. 7th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 07/10/28-11/02
      3. Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007
      4. World Economic Forum , Davos, Switzerland, 08/01/22-27
      5. TED Talks, TED Conferences LLC , since 2006
      6. Talking Robots: The PodCast on Robotics and AI, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, 06/11/03
      7. Potentials of Complexity Science for Business, Governments, and the Media 2006, Budapest, Hungary, 06/08/03-05
      8. 6th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 06/06/25-30
      9. Artificial Life X, 10th Intl Conf on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, Bloomington, IN, USA. 2006/06/03-07
      10. 6th Understanding Complex Systems Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Il, 06/05/15-18
      11. Ralph Abraham on Complexity Digest, , Calcutta, India, 05/12/27
      12. An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06
      13. Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25
      14. Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23
      15. Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14
      16. ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life, Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9
      17. T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, The Washington Center for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), Podcast
      18. North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity 2005 Conference, Virtual Conference Network, St. Pete's Beach, Florida, 05/06/09-11
      19. Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC, 05/05/16-19
      20. Nonlinearity, Fluctuations, and Complexity, with a celebration of the 65th birthday of Gregoire Nicolis. , Complexity Session, Universite' Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 05/03/16
      21. 1st European Conference on Complex Systems, Torino, Italy, 04/12/5-7
      22. From Autopoiesis to Neurophenomenology: A Tribute to Francisco Varela (1946-2001), Paris, France, 2004/06/18-20
      23. Evolutionary Epistemology, Language, and Culture, Brussels, Belgium, 04/05/26-28
      24. International Conference on Complex Systems 2004, Boston, 04/05/16-21
      25. Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: Lab Demonstrations, Strogatz, Steven H., Internet-First University Press, 1994
      26. CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
      27. Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998
      28. Edge Videos

    3. Conference Announcements Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. 2nd Intl Congress of Complex Systems in Sport (2nd ICCSS) and 10th European Workshop of Ecological Psychology. (10th EWEP), Funchal, in Madeira Island, Portugal, 08/11/05-08
      2. 2008 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence (WI-08), Sydney, Australia, 08/12/09-12
      3. "Approaching Complexity" Workshop, IT Revolutions, Venice, 08/12/17-19
      4. COMPLEX'2009, First Intl Conf on Complex Systems: Theory and Applications, Shanghai, China, 09/02/23-25
      5. 3rd Biennial International Transdisciplinary Seminar on the Complexity Approach, Camaguey, Cuba. 09/02/23-27
      6. Models and Simulations 3 Conference, Charlottesville, USA 09/03/05-07
      7. 2nd Conf on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI-09.org), Arlington, Virginia, 09/03/06-09
      8. 2009 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, Nashville, Tennessee, USA,09/03/30-04/02
      9. 7th Annual Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, 09/04/27-29, Boston, MA
      10. 2nd Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference (CHAOS2009), Chania, Crete, Greece, 09/06/01-05
      11. 2009 Intl Conf of the System Dynamics Society, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 09/07/26-30
      12. 5th Intl Conf on Fractals and Dynamic Systems in Geoscience, Townsville, Australia, 09/08/13-14

    4. Other Announcements Bookmark and Share

      1. A short notice from Dean LeBaron

        Dear ComDig Readers,

        Our editor, Dr. Gottfried Mayer, is affectionately esteemed by many of you -- as readers, you know he devotes himself unselfishly to widening our knowledge of complexity science. He was recently diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and given a timetable of a very few years. Knowing Gottfried, you can imagine that, in addition to the customary processes of chemotherapy, he would explore other frontier therapies, especially those arising out of interdisciplinary applications of complexity. These are expensive ... if he can find them.

        Many of you have sent your good wishes and indicated your desire to assist. With Gottfried's permission, I am posting this note with information, below, about how to send contributions to him. Please indicate the source since Gottfried will want to express his warm gratitude.

        I know that Gottfried, the good scientist that he is, will explain from time to time what he is doing and what the results are ... and we will follow his progress with great interest and hope.

        Dean LeBaron
        Publisher, Complexity Digest

        Bank Information:

        If your contribution is made by check:
        Please mail the check, payable to "Gottfried Mayer", to:
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