Breaking point: What are the signs before the collapse?

What do climate collapse, the onset of epilepsy, financial crisis or power grid failure have in common? According to Complex Systems Physics, which analyzes systems with unpredictable emergent properties, all examples are critical systems whose dynamics are on the verge of sudden changes.

Because these are critical systems, identifying critical points from measured data represents an essential first step towards understanding and perhaps predicting potential catastrophic events. But when we try to study a complex system, it can sometimes be difficult to identify important signals when there is a high level of noise, that is, when this data is “overwhelmed” by a lot of irrelevant information.

In a recent study published in the journal Physical Review X, Australian researchers developed a revolutionary methodology after analyzing seven thousand different methods. The method, called RAD, which is short for the word resized automatic density in English, can identify proximity marks to critical points. even in very complex and noisy systems.

Breaking point in the brain

The team tested its method on “incredibly complex recordings of mouse brain activity,” according to the study. In fact, they measured activity in the brain regions responsible for interpreting what the mouse saw. They discovered that when a neuron fires: neighbors can spread or dampen the signal, but too much spreading can result in seizures.

The RAD method revealed that different brain regions have different distances from critical points. Areas responsible for simpler functions, such as processing the size and orientation of objects, operate further away from these points to avoid compromising the processing of essential information. Regions normally involved in more complex processes tend to operate closer to critical limits.

The configuration points to a kind of strategic evolution of the brain to exploit the properties of hotspots.

Being close to the critical point but not beyond it offers some advantages, such as developing a type of temporary memory useful for cognitive tasks, making complex calculations easier. and greater flexibility to process abstract information and adapt to new situations..

Implications and perspectives for the RAD method

Understanding the critical points goes beyond the academic scope and offers some potential practical applications in different fields. For example, in medicine, this method can predict events such as epileptic seizures.It warns patients before attacks.

In the financial field, this technique can help detect potential market crashes early, allowing for preventive interventions.

The work demonstrated a simple way to understand theoretical systems using simulations and comparisons. RAD detects which analysis paths (algorithms) seem most interesting to examine and can make measurements even if there is a lot of change and corruption in the data. This “filter” sees useful patterns even in the midst of noisy information from the real world.

How not to fall off the cliff

In an article published on The Conversation platform, two authors, Ben Fulcher and Bredan Harris, both from the University of Sydney in Australia, draw an analogy between the tipping point and the myth of the collective suicide of lemmings, small rodents. It was said that in polar regions they would throw themselves off cliffs in groups.

In this example, it makes perfect sense to stay away from the cliff edge, which represents the limiting moment or critical transition point in a system. Where any change will lead to radical transformation or even total collapse.

But the results also show that being close to the critical point, such as sitting on the edge of a cliff, can offer computational advantages, meaning one can perform more complex calculations, performing more precise movements, like an acrobat. unstable equilibrium state.

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