A question of scale

Abstract

If you search for 'collective behaviour' with your web browser most of the texts popping up will be about group activities of humans, including riots, fashion and mass panic. Nevertheless, collective behaviour is also considered to be an important aspect of observed phenomena in atoms and molecules, for example, during spontaneous magnetization. In your web search, you might also find articles on collectively migrating bacteria, insects or birds; or phenomena where groups of organisms or non- living objects synchronize their signals or motion (think of fireflies flashing in unison or people clapping in phase during rhythmic applause).

Concepts essay, published in Nature http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v411/n6836/full/411421a0.html

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• Asymptotic analysis and diffusion limit of the Persistent Turning Walker Model
• On the use of financial analysis tools for the study of Dst time series in the frame of complex systems
• The Emergence of Lines of Hierarchy in Collective Motion of Biological Systems