The synchronized flashing of fireflies at night. The spiraling patterns of an aggregating slime mold.
The coordinated movements of a school of fish. Researchers are finding in such patterns-phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries—a fertile new approach to understanding biological sys-tems: the study of self-organization. This book, a primer on self-organization in biological systems for students and other enthusiasts, introduces readers to the basic concepts and tools for studying self-organization and then examines numerous examples of self-organization in the natural world. Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology—a field of study at the forefront of life sciences research.