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Rigid or Plastic?

Rigid or Plastic?

Human brains look remarkably similar, which might lead us to believe they are built the same and do not evolve over time. Neuroscientists have increasingly used the new field of complex networks to make sense of the brain, and have come to appreciate that, while the brain appears entirely rigid, it is in fact much […]

Luck or skill?

Luck or skill?

The name “backgammon” derives from two Persian words, “bakht”, which means “luck”, and “gamman”, which means skill. Complex networks, including human systems, are inherently uncertain – the future cannot be predicted with any degree of precision. Luck plays an important part in our lives. However, pattern recognition, and the ability to make sense of our […]

Micro or macro?

Micro or macro?

This picture shows the “Mandelbrot Set”, a type of “fractal” showing patterns that repeat themselves at all levels of scale. The study of complex networks provide a framework that is scale-free i.e. we can make sense of very small complex networks, including the human brain, and very large networks, such as the world economy. Indeed, […]

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