Issue #17 — Complexity

This issue of Basically, Science is all about Complexity.

Genes, molecules, grains of sand, human traits. When countless parts interact, understanding the whole becomes a formidable challenge. Here we look at how scientists find patterns, build models, and extract meaning from systems with enormous numbers of variables and interactions.

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Autism-related Genes Share a Common Path During Early Brain Development

Hundreds of genes have been linked to autism, creating a hugely complex genetic picture. A study published in Nature finds surprising order within it: different mutations can affect the same brain cell types and molecular processes during early development.

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How Random Flickering Produces Precise Results

Genes flicker randomly between on and off, yet somehow produce remarkably precise patterns of activity on average. Published in PNAS, a new theoretical framework reveals an organizing principle behind this apparent randomness while suggesting that such precision comes at an energetic cost.

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Genes We Didn't Inherit Leave a Lasting Impact

You inherit half your DNA from each parent. But new findings published in Cell Genomics suggest the genes they don’t pass on can still shape who you become. Analyzing data from over 30,000 families, researchers developed a new way to untangle these hidden influences.

Grain Shape Transforms How Sand Behaves

What makes a sandcastle stand or crumble? The answer may lie in the shape of a single grain. Published in ACM Transactions on Graphics, new research shows how simplifying this one variable can make simulations of countless interacting grains dramatically faster, without losing the surprising ways sand can behave.

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Meet the Three Newest EMBO Members

Xiaoqi Feng, Anđela Šarić and Gašper Tkačik have been elected to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), joining more than 2,200 leading life scientists worldwide. Their research spans plant germlines, self-organizing molecules and information-processing networks. Across these different scales, all three seek to understand how the many interacting parts of living systems give rise to organized life.

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Monika Henzinger Receives Prestigious Milner Award

How do you find useful answers when the problem is simply too big to tackle head on? For Monika Henzinger, the answer lies in better algorithms. Her pioneering work in computer science has now earned her the Royal Society’s 2027 Milner Award and Lecture, one of Europe’s leading distinctions in the field.