Group decisions: When more information isn't necessarily better

Modular — or cliquey — group structure isolates the flow of communication between individuals, which might seem counterproductive to survival. But for some animal groups, more information isn't necessarily better, according to new SFI research published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Read More

At last, acknowledging royal women's political power

Across the globe in a variety of societies, royal women found ways to advance the issues they cared about and advocate for the people important to them as detailed in a recent paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Research.

Read More

SFI Press publishes "Emerging Syntheses in Science"

A new edition of Emerging Syntheses in Science, edited by SFI co-founder David Pines and published through SFI Press, offers a fresh window into SFI's founding meetings, including never-before-published transcripts and essays.

Read More

Death as a system collapse

A working group, “Hallmarks of Biological Failure,” meets to discuss the patterns of mortality, biological failure, and system collapse.

Read More

Are you with me? New model explains origins of empathy

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute and the Santa Fe Institute have developed a new model to explain the evolutionary origins of empathy and other related phenomena, such as emotional contagion and contagious yawning. The model suggests that the origin of a broad range of empathetic responses lies in cognitive simulation.

Read More

The cost of computation

A new review by David Wolpert collects recent advances in understanding the thermodynamics of computation that are grounded in computer science and physics.

Read More

External Prof Simon DeDeo wins Cozzarelli Prize

SFI External Professor Simon DeDeo and co-authors are recipients of the 2018 Cozzarelli Prize, awarded by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, for their paper “Individuals, institutions, and innovation in the debates of the French Revolution.” 

Read More