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.

If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider recommending it to a friend or colleague. Share this link to the current and previous editions. Thank you!

A mouse embryo’s head in the early stages of development. Proliferating nerve cells in the brain are labeled in pink. © Mohammad Goudarzi/ISTA

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.

Genes flicker randomly between on and off, yet still generate highly precise gene‑expression patterns—for example, in the fruit fly. © Nadine Poncioni/ISTA

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.

Researchers reveal complex genetic connections between generations. Left to right: professor Matthew Robinson and postdoc Ilse Krätschmer. © ISTA

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.

Sand may seem simple, but for scientists it is one of nature’s trickiest materials to model. © ISTA

Grain Shape Transforms How Digital Sand Behaves

What makes computationally generated sandcastles 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 complex sand physics to a uniform grain shape can make simulations of countless interacting grains dramatically faster, without losing the complex ways sand can behave.

Left to right: Professors Gašper Tkačik, Xiaoqi Feng, and Anđela Šarić. © ISTA

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 sperm cells, 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.

Professor Monika Henzinger is the 2027 winner of the prestigious Royal Society Milner Award and Lectures, recognized for her outstanding achievements in computer science. © Peter Rigaud | ISTA

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. The Royal Society distinction follows another major recognition for Henzinger. In May, the Association for Computing Machinery named her its 2026-2027 ACM Athena Lecturer.