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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Individual heterogeneity is a key characteristic of many real-world systems, from organisms to humans. Current aggregation theories for physical, chemical or biological systems tend not to account for the significant heterogeneity found in populations of, for example, living objects. I will show that a generalized aggregation theory that incorporates heterogeneity can explain the asynchronous, sudden appearance, and growth of online extremist groups that emerged globally post-2014. This framework provides a testing tool for how these collective phenomena might be impacted. More generally, this generalized theory should apply to a range of real-world systems featuring aggregation among heterogeneous objects. In addition, I will show that the heterogeneity in the strategy sets in a population of decentralized, decision-making components (agents), produce aggregated activity that resembles that observed in simple organisms exhibiting klinotaxis (i.e., orientation through lateral movements of portions of the body). Moreover, this development predicts that the decentralized moving entity is remarkably efficient at reaching its target when its individual components are neither too capable nor too incapable. Thus, offering a fresh explanation for why biological evolution jumped from a decentralized to a centralized nervous system design when developing higher organisms.
Host: Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran