Manlio De Domenico
@manlius.bsky.social
Emergence, Networks & Complexity | Collective Behavior(s) from Cells to Societies 🧬🦠🧠🌇
Prof. @UniPadova, Galileo's University | Lab: @comunelab.bsky.social | Web: https://linktr.ee/manlius
Thoughts at manlius.substack.com
Prof. @UniPadova, Galileo's University | Lab: @comunelab.bsky.social | Web: https://linktr.ee/manlius
Thoughts at manlius.substack.com
Pinned
Manlio De Domenico
@manlius.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Complexity Thoughts
YouTube video by Manlio De Domenico
www.youtube.com
Why #ComplexitySci is fascinating?
#ComplexSystems are ubiquitous!🧬🦠🧫🔬🐠🦜🧠🌪️🧪
And provide an analytical framework to study the behavior of phys, bio, eco, human & artificial systems #AcademicSky
Curious? I write about them 👉 #ComplexityThoughts: manlius.substack.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Sv...
#ComplexSystems are ubiquitous!🧬🦠🧫🔬🐠🦜🧠🌪️🧪
And provide an analytical framework to study the behavior of phys, bio, eco, human & artificial systems #AcademicSky
Curious? I write about them 👉 #ComplexityThoughts: manlius.substack.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Sv...
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
According to decades of behavioral experiments, humans defy logic.
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
The unreasonable math of decisions? Part I
Non-classical behaviors without quantum brains
manlius.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:53 PM
According to decades of behavioral experiments, humans defy logic.
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
According to decades of behavioral experiments, humans defy logic.
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
The unreasonable math of decisions? Part I
Non-classical behaviors without quantum brains
manlius.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:53 PM
According to decades of behavioral experiments, humans defy logic.
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
Maybe that's not irrationality; maybe it's better math waiting to be found. Or just to be used to describe non-classical decisions, w/o need for quantum brains.
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/the-unreas...
By replying to Elise below, we could generate a nice thread.
Hey complexity and complexity-adjacent people:
What are some of your favorite pop-sci books? Are there any you've had your eye on but haven't had a chance to read yet?
They can be new or old. I'd just love to know what y'all are reading!
What are some of your favorite pop-sci books? Are there any you've had your eye on but haven't had a chance to read yet?
They can be new or old. I'd just love to know what y'all are reading!
November 9, 2025 at 2:37 PM
By replying to Elise below, we could generate a nice thread.
The seven sisters were literally dancing over the full moon light.
Not the best conditions for taking pics, but I tried anyway. I can confirm conditions were not good: their blue lights got destroyed by interference with the moon ones.
#Astrophotography #M45 #Pleiades
Not the best conditions for taking pics, but I tried anyway. I can confirm conditions were not good: their blue lights got destroyed by interference with the moon ones.
#Astrophotography #M45 #Pleiades
November 8, 2025 at 9:20 AM
The seven sisters were literally dancing over the full moon light.
Not the best conditions for taking pics, but I tried anyway. I can confirm conditions were not good: their blue lights got destroyed by interference with the moon ones.
#Astrophotography #M45 #Pleiades
Not the best conditions for taking pics, but I tried anyway. I can confirm conditions were not good: their blue lights got destroyed by interference with the moon ones.
#Astrophotography #M45 #Pleiades
Cooperation isn’t weakness, it’s strategy.
Axelrod’s rules remind us: fairness, reciprocity and humility often outcompete envy and cleverness.
In complexity, often simplicity wins.
Axelrod’s rules remind us: fairness, reciprocity and humility often outcompete envy and cleverness.
In complexity, often simplicity wins.
November 6, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Cooperation isn’t weakness, it’s strategy.
Axelrod’s rules remind us: fairness, reciprocity and humility often outcompete envy and cleverness.
In complexity, often simplicity wins.
Axelrod’s rules remind us: fairness, reciprocity and humility often outcompete envy and cleverness.
In complexity, often simplicity wins.
Thinking we’re the peak of civilization, right?
Well, 3,000 years ago early Maya communities built a landscape cosmogram (a vast earthly map of the cosmos) without kings, armies, coercion.
Collective imagination and cooperation shaped order in their universe. ✨
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Well, 3,000 years ago early Maya communities built a landscape cosmogram (a vast earthly map of the cosmos) without kings, armies, coercion.
Collective imagination and cooperation shaped order in their universe. ✨
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Landscape-wide cosmogram built by the early community of Aguada Fénix in southeastern Mesoamerica
The cosmogram of Aguada Fénix built over the landscape between 1050 and 700 BCE rivaled the extents of later Mesoamerican cities.
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Thinking we’re the peak of civilization, right?
Well, 3,000 years ago early Maya communities built a landscape cosmogram (a vast earthly map of the cosmos) without kings, armies, coercion.
Collective imagination and cooperation shaped order in their universe. ✨
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Well, 3,000 years ago early Maya communities built a landscape cosmogram (a vast earthly map of the cosmos) without kings, armies, coercion.
Collective imagination and cooperation shaped order in their universe. ✨
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
TL;DR: Even the most advanced language models crumble on first-person false beliefs, showing sharp accuracy drops and revealing that their “understanding” of others’ minds is still shallow pattern mimicry, not genuine epistemic reasoning.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact - Nature Machine Intelligence
Suzgun et al. find that current large language models cannot reliably distinguish between belief, knowledge and fact, raising concerns for their use in healthcare, law and journalism, where such disti...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:19 PM
TL;DR: Even the most advanced language models crumble on first-person false beliefs, showing sharp accuracy drops and revealing that their “understanding” of others’ minds is still shallow pattern mimicry, not genuine epistemic reasoning.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
Another casualty of the LLM revolution.
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Another casualty of the LLM revolution.
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
TL;DR: Even the most advanced language models crumble on first-person false beliefs, showing sharp accuracy drops and revealing that their “understanding” of others’ minds is still shallow pattern mimicry, not genuine epistemic reasoning.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact - Nature Machine Intelligence
Suzgun et al. find that current large language models cannot reliably distinguish between belief, knowledge and fact, raising concerns for their use in healthcare, law and journalism, where such disti...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:19 PM
TL;DR: Even the most advanced language models crumble on first-person false beliefs, showing sharp accuracy drops and revealing that their “understanding” of others’ minds is still shallow pattern mimicry, not genuine epistemic reasoning.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Here we go with another drawing, for the same upcoming talk (more info soon, stay tuned).
In the meanwhile, you can help me by describing this image: what's that?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
___
PS: The updated version of the previous drawing, with an explanation, is in the next post of the 🧵
In the meanwhile, you can help me by describing this image: what's that?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
___
PS: The updated version of the previous drawing, with an explanation, is in the next post of the 🧵
October 29, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Here we go with another drawing, for the same upcoming talk (more info soon, stay tuned).
In the meanwhile, you can help me by describing this image: what's that?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
___
PS: The updated version of the previous drawing, with an explanation, is in the next post of the 🧵
In the meanwhile, you can help me by describing this image: what's that?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
___
PS: The updated version of the previous drawing, with an explanation, is in the next post of the 🧵
"Paint the sky with stars"
____
Perseus double cluster
~7100 light years away
60' expsosure (180x20")
Nikon D750+Nikkor 300mm
f/5.6 ISO320. No 🔭
Skyguider pro.
Neighbors' lights like there was no tomorrow.
Bortle 7 sky.
Stacked, crop.
____
Perseus double cluster
~7100 light years away
60' expsosure (180x20")
Nikon D750+Nikkor 300mm
f/5.6 ISO320. No 🔭
Skyguider pro.
Neighbors' lights like there was no tomorrow.
Bortle 7 sky.
Stacked, crop.
October 29, 2025 at 6:25 AM
"Paint the sky with stars"
____
Perseus double cluster
~7100 light years away
60' expsosure (180x20")
Nikon D750+Nikkor 300mm
f/5.6 ISO320. No 🔭
Skyguider pro.
Neighbors' lights like there was no tomorrow.
Bortle 7 sky.
Stacked, crop.
____
Perseus double cluster
~7100 light years away
60' expsosure (180x20")
Nikon D750+Nikkor 300mm
f/5.6 ISO320. No 🔭
Skyguider pro.
Neighbors' lights like there was no tomorrow.
Bortle 7 sky.
Stacked, crop.
What connects molecules, ecosystems, brains and societies?
Exactly 1y ago, I captured that question in this video, showing how simple mechanisms generate the complexity of life and behavior.
Now heading towards the 3rd birthday of #ComplexityThoughts: unbelievable.
#Complexity #NetworkScience
Exactly 1y ago, I captured that question in this video, showing how simple mechanisms generate the complexity of life and behavior.
Now heading towards the 3rd birthday of #ComplexityThoughts: unbelievable.
#Complexity #NetworkScience
Why #ComplexitySci is fascinating?
#ComplexSystems are ubiquitous!🧬🦠🧫🔬🐠🦜🧠🌪️🧪
And provide an analytical framework to study the behavior of phys, bio, eco, human & artificial systems #AcademicSky
Curious? I write about them 👉 #ComplexityThoughts: manlius.substack.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Sv...
#ComplexSystems are ubiquitous!🧬🦠🧫🔬🐠🦜🧠🌪️🧪
And provide an analytical framework to study the behavior of phys, bio, eco, human & artificial systems #AcademicSky
Curious? I write about them 👉 #ComplexityThoughts: manlius.substack.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Sv...
Complexity Thoughts
YouTube video by Manlio De Domenico
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:36 AM
What connects molecules, ecosystems, brains and societies?
Exactly 1y ago, I captured that question in this video, showing how simple mechanisms generate the complexity of life and behavior.
Now heading towards the 3rd birthday of #ComplexityThoughts: unbelievable.
#Complexity #NetworkScience
Exactly 1y ago, I captured that question in this video, showing how simple mechanisms generate the complexity of life and behavior.
Now heading towards the 3rd birthday of #ComplexityThoughts: unbelievable.
#Complexity #NetworkScience
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
A microscopic organism can survive the vacuum of space: yet our infrastructures collapse under a summer storm.
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Making sense of complex systems functionality
What slime molds, neural systems and quantum physics have in common?
manlius.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:34 AM
A microscopic organism can survive the vacuum of space: yet our infrastructures collapse under a summer storm.
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Revolutionary ideas.
Thinking of patenting my favorite method for ranking researchers: reading their papers and deciding whether they are good.
Hilariously bad idea. In my subfield author lists are almost always alphabetical!
October 26, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Revolutionary ideas.
Really?!?
Did we need this at all?
When will academia end its obsession with indices?
They've fueled quantity over quality for decades, leading to publish-or-perish, authorship games, data fabrication,...
Come on 🤦
h/t: @seanmcarroll.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Did we need this at all?
When will academia end its obsession with indices?
They've fueled quantity over quality for decades, leading to publish-or-perish, authorship games, data fabrication,...
Come on 🤦
h/t: @seanmcarroll.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Google Scholar tool gives extra credit to first and last authors
Researchers welcome the initiative, but say it doesn’t go far enough to capture the nuance of researcher productivity and impact.
www.nature.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Really?!?
Did we need this at all?
When will academia end its obsession with indices?
They've fueled quantity over quality for decades, leading to publish-or-perish, authorship games, data fabrication,...
Come on 🤦
h/t: @seanmcarroll.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Did we need this at all?
When will academia end its obsession with indices?
They've fueled quantity over quality for decades, leading to publish-or-perish, authorship games, data fabrication,...
Come on 🤦
h/t: @seanmcarroll.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A microscopic organism can survive the vacuum of space: yet our infrastructures collapse under a summer storm.
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Making sense of complex systems functionality
What slime molds, neural systems and quantum physics have in common?
manlius.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:34 AM
A microscopic organism can survive the vacuum of space: yet our infrastructures collapse under a summer storm.
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Why? 👉 Because structure isn’t enough.
Resilience depends on functionality.
And we need a lot of network science to grasp it.
📖 manlius.substack.com/p/making-sen...
#ComplexityThoughts
Eventually, I did it.
Comet Lemmon! 💫
Nice to read again the history of the attempts in the last weeks. Now, I am almost satisfied with the result: still something to fix, though.
___
About 35' integrated exposure, stacked, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 300mm f/5.6
Comet Lemmon! 💫
Nice to read again the history of the attempts in the last weeks. Now, I am almost satisfied with the result: still something to fix, though.
___
About 35' integrated exposure, stacked, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 300mm f/5.6
October 24, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Eventually, I did it.
Comet Lemmon! 💫
Nice to read again the history of the attempts in the last weeks. Now, I am almost satisfied with the result: still something to fix, though.
___
About 35' integrated exposure, stacked, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 300mm f/5.6
Comet Lemmon! 💫
Nice to read again the history of the attempts in the last weeks. Now, I am almost satisfied with the result: still something to fix, though.
___
About 35' integrated exposure, stacked, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 300mm f/5.6
Not the easiest session.
If you are curious to know what it means to take pictures from home, this should give a good idea
If you are curious to know what it means to take pictures from home, this should give a good idea
October 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Not the easiest session.
If you are curious to know what it means to take pictures from home, this should give a good idea
If you are curious to know what it means to take pictures from home, this should give a good idea
Oops I did it again.
I could not resist: perfect sky after 2 rainy days; no clouds now; just in plain sight from my backyard.
Fingers crossed @scrutacieli.bsky.social
Raw pictures below, not yet processed (of course) 👇
I could not resist: perfect sky after 2 rainy days; no clouds now; just in plain sight from my backyard.
Fingers crossed @scrutacieli.bsky.social
Raw pictures below, not yet processed (of course) 👇
October 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Oops I did it again.
I could not resist: perfect sky after 2 rainy days; no clouds now; just in plain sight from my backyard.
Fingers crossed @scrutacieli.bsky.social
Raw pictures below, not yet processed (of course) 👇
I could not resist: perfect sky after 2 rainy days; no clouds now; just in plain sight from my backyard.
Fingers crossed @scrutacieli.bsky.social
Raw pictures below, not yet processed (of course) 👇
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
“we might add “natural cooperation” as a third fundamental principle of evolution beside mutation and natural selection”
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
October 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
“we might add “natural cooperation” as a third fundamental principle of evolution beside mutation and natural selection”
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
“we might add “natural cooperation” as a third fundamental principle of evolution beside mutation and natural selection”
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
October 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
“we might add “natural cooperation” as a third fundamental principle of evolution beside mutation and natural selection”
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
🧪 #ComplexSystems #Evolution
www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
In the '30s of the past century, the Sicilian physicist Ettore Majorana wrote an article about the value of statistical laws in physics and in social sciences. A pioneering non-technical work.
I am wondering if successive ('40s-'50s) “sociophysics” papers are related.
arxiv.org/abs/0709.3537
I am wondering if successive ('40s-'50s) “sociophysics” papers are related.
arxiv.org/abs/0709.3537
L'articolo di Ettore Majorana su "Il valore delle Leggi Statistiche nella Fisica e nelle Scienze Sociali" (Ettore Majorana's article on "The value of Statistical Laws in Physics and in Social Sciences...
The mentioned article was written by Ettore Majorana, in a partially educational way, for a journal of Sociology; but he gave up publishing it (and threw it away). It appeared posthumous, thanks to Gi...
arxiv.org
October 22, 2025 at 12:38 PM
In the '30s of the past century, the Sicilian physicist Ettore Majorana wrote an article about the value of statistical laws in physics and in social sciences. A pioneering non-technical work.
I am wondering if successive ('40s-'50s) “sociophysics” papers are related.
arxiv.org/abs/0709.3537
I am wondering if successive ('40s-'50s) “sociophysics” papers are related.
arxiv.org/abs/0709.3537
Amazed by chatGPT 🤯
It has just recommended me to read this paper:
Perra, N. & De Domenico, M. (2023). Multilayer Network Epidemiology. Nature Reviews Physics, 5, 736–753.
Facts:
* I'd love to have a paper with @netscience.bsky.social but I haven't
* There is no Multilayer Network Epidemiology
It has just recommended me to read this paper:
Perra, N. & De Domenico, M. (2023). Multilayer Network Epidemiology. Nature Reviews Physics, 5, 736–753.
Facts:
* I'd love to have a paper with @netscience.bsky.social but I haven't
* There is no Multilayer Network Epidemiology
October 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Amazed by chatGPT 🤯
It has just recommended me to read this paper:
Perra, N. & De Domenico, M. (2023). Multilayer Network Epidemiology. Nature Reviews Physics, 5, 736–753.
Facts:
* I'd love to have a paper with @netscience.bsky.social but I haven't
* There is no Multilayer Network Epidemiology
It has just recommended me to read this paper:
Perra, N. & De Domenico, M. (2023). Multilayer Network Epidemiology. Nature Reviews Physics, 5, 736–753.
Facts:
* I'd love to have a paper with @netscience.bsky.social but I haven't
* There is no Multilayer Network Epidemiology
Urgent: can someone at the 🇺🇸 White House check if we’re facing an epidemic of exoplanets?
Where will this lead? Are we safe? Should we flatten the curve before it spreads?
Asking for a friend who’' extremely concerned about alien invasion, especially after recent rumors on 3I/ATLAS.
Where will this lead? Are we safe? Should we flatten the curve before it spreads?
Asking for a friend who’' extremely concerned about alien invasion, especially after recent rumors on 3I/ATLAS.
October 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Urgent: can someone at the 🇺🇸 White House check if we’re facing an epidemic of exoplanets?
Where will this lead? Are we safe? Should we flatten the curve before it spreads?
Asking for a friend who’' extremely concerned about alien invasion, especially after recent rumors on 3I/ATLAS.
Where will this lead? Are we safe? Should we flatten the curve before it spreads?
Asking for a friend who’' extremely concerned about alien invasion, especially after recent rumors on 3I/ATLAS.
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
Did you know that a simple proof that the speed of light is finite, the universe had a beginning and is expanding, is that the night sky is dark?
This is known as Olbers’ paradox, which puzzled astronomers for centuries.
1/2
This is known as Olbers’ paradox, which puzzled astronomers for centuries.
1/2
October 20, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Did you know that a simple proof that the speed of light is finite, the universe had a beginning and is expanding, is that the night sky is dark?
This is known as Olbers’ paradox, which puzzled astronomers for centuries.
1/2
This is known as Olbers’ paradox, which puzzled astronomers for centuries.
1/2