How can our societies be stabilized in a crisis? Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? What makes the Mona Lisa's smile beautiful? - Is there any answer to these questions? This book shows that the statement: "weak links stabilize complex systems" holds the key to understanding all of the intriguing puzzles above. The distinguished author uses weak links as a thread to introduce a vast variety of networks from proteins to ecosystems. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on many, seemingly diverse, fields of study.

Autorentext

Peter Csermely (50) is a professor at the Semmelweis University in Budapest. A former Fogarty Fellow at Harvard University, his main fields of study are molecular chaperones and networks. In 1996 Dr. Csermely launched a highly successful initiative providing research opportunities for more than 10,000 gifted high school students. He also established the Hungarian National Talent Support Council and the Network of Youth Excellence, www.nyex.info, promoting similar activities in 33 countries. He has published 11 books and more than 200 research papers. Dr. Csermely holds several distinguished appointments including membership of the Wise Persons' Council of the Hungarian President, vice-president of the Hungarian Biochemical Society and has been recipient of numerous international fellowships and awards, for example the 2003 Science Communication Award of the European Molecular Biology Organization and the 2004 Descartes Award of the European Union for Science Communication.

Klappentext

How can our societies be stabilized in a crisis?  Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? How do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival? What makes the Mona Lisa's smile beautiful? How do women keep our social structures intact? Could there possibly be a single answer to all these questions? This book shows that the statement: "weak links stabilize complex systems" provides the key to understanding each of these intriguing puzzles, and many others too. The author (recipient of several distinguished science communication prizes) uses weak (low affinity, low probability) interactions as a thread to introduce a vast variety of networks from proteins to economics and ecosystems. Many people, from Nobel Laureates to high-school students have helped to make the book understandable to all interested readers. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on many, seemingly diverse, fields of study.

A very personal, engaging, and unique book that will appeal to readers and get them thinking

Steve Strogatz

An adventurous, entertainingly eclectic and rich work both for experts and laymen

László-Albert Barabási

This masterpiece should serve as an example of how science can be discussed

György Buzsáki

Outstanding - I wish more books were written this way

Daniel J. Bilar

Inhalt
A Principle is Born: The Granovetter Study.- Why Do We Like Networks?.- Network Stability.- Weak Links as Stabilizers of Complex Systems.- Atoms, Molecules and Macromolecules.- Weak Links and Cellular Stability.- Weak Links and the Stability of Organisms.- Social Nets.- Networks of Human Culture.- The Global Web.- The Ecoweb.- Conclusions and Perspectives.