News + Events

Modern European cities and medieval cities share a population-density-to-area relationship, a new paper concludes – the latest research to find regularities in human settlement patterns across space and time.

What is the best way for a group to collaborate on solving a difficult problem? A new study finds that the answer depends on how that particular group learns. 

A new study led by SFI External Professor Jessika Trancik finds that low-emission cars aren't more expensive over their life cycles than conventional internal combustion vehicles, contrary to widespread belief. 

They and We. I am and We are. According to an analysis of the September 26 presidential debate by SFI's Simon DeDeo, the strongest distinction between Clinton and Trump was not what, but who.

A team of ecologists met at SFI recently to begin synthesizing an efficient theory that aims toward a more unified understanding of ecology.

A recent working group at SFI, “Human Settlements and Networks in History,” furthered a long-term exploration of urban scaling theory as it applies to human settlements through history and across cultures. 

An attacker who gains access to a general-purpose machine can exploit its broad computational abilities to accomplish nefarious ends. As more devices go online – through cloud computing, connected cars, and the internet of things, for example – security becomes an increasing threat and challenge.

Applied Complexity Network (ACtioN) in London which drew participants from business and government, followed a meeting of scientists that took place in August at SFI. Both meetings concerned factors that determine the precision and reliability with which a system’s behavior can be predicted.

Malicious behavior is similarly common in the natural world, where agents tend a means to enter a system and subvert its rules in their favor.

When big problems arise, we insist on the power of many brains. At the same time, everyday work meetings are notoriously dull and fruitless. Can certain conditions nudge collaborative problem solving in a more reliably productive direction?

Scientists are getting better at prediction, but there’s good reason to believe we will eventually bump up against some fundamental limits. A recent workshop at SFI asked where those limits might be.

Whether it’s walking across hot coals or simply going to church on Sunday, people who participate in regular religious acts send a clear signal to others that they’re ready and willing to contribute to their communities, a new study suggests.

How do we recognize a face in a crowd? Experts are at SFI this month to explore how our brains process relevant information in a sea of noise.

Most US drivers could perform their daily personal vehicle trips with an electric vehicle, according to a new model by SFI External Professor Jessika Trancik and colleagues.

Drawing from network science, decision-making tools with artificial intelligence, and social influence theories, experts gathered at SFI recently to explore new ways to spark large-scale social change.

To prepare for climate change, urbanization, or antibiotic resistance, we need to know how the microbial world we are immersed in will respond to stress. A recent SFI meeting sought progress.

A new network model shows that replacing infected front-line workers with healthy ones can actually accelerate the spread of certain infections.

Stephanie Forrest and Melanie Mitchell recount the legacy of John Holland, a complexity science pioneer who passed away in August 2015.

On the popular podcast "Waking Up with Sam Harris," SFI President David Krakauer weighs in on whether your brain is an information processor. It is, he says, because it converts disorder to order.

A unique meeting at SFI in July brought together experts from fields as diverse as physics, neuroscience, sports, and dance to ask whether there are limits to human performance.