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Manlio De Domenico

@manlius.bsky.social
4.9K followers 849 following 2.1K posts

Emergence, Networks & Complexity | Collective Behavior(s) from Cells to Societies 🧬🦠🧠🌇 Prof. @UniPadova, Galileo's University | Lab: @comunelab.bsky.social | Web: linktr.ee/manlius Thoughts at manlius.substack.com

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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 11h
Then, a sustained shift toward earlier flowering emerged. By identifying this transition, researchers can trace the ecological fingerprint of anthropogenic climate warming much further back in time. The history of climate change is also written in the rhythms of living systems. /fin
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 11h
The analysis suggests that the effects of climate warming on flowering dates became detectable around 1890, much earlier than the mid-to-late 20th century typically considered in ecological studies. For centuries, cherry blossom dates fluctuated within a relatively stable historical regime. 2/
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 11h
When did anthropogenic climate warming first become detectable in the biological behavior of plants? 🌐🧪🌸 An almost poetic answer comes from a dataset spanning 1200+ years of 🇯🇵 cherry blossom records, offering a long preindustrial baseline to compare nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... 🧵 1/
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Fascinating!
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Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Why optogenetics deserves the hype www.wiringthebrain.com/2013/09/why-... (a piece I wrote in 2013 explaining how it works and why modulating specific cell types is so key to understanding how neural circuits and systems work)
wiringthebrain.com
Why optogenetics deserves the hype
Optogenetics has come in for some stick lately, with a number of people criticising the hype that this technique generates in some quar...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A HON is not strictly required by higher-order dynamics. Today, in this new #ComplexityThoughts we discuss how and whether it is the best scientific representation and under which conditions. This time we ask Newton and Kepler for some help. Read it here 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/when-is-a-...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Memories of being a kid in the ’90s, watching the ✨ night sky, mixed w: the scientific knowledge I gained later You can’t imagine how happy I am about this piece. And about the cover too: hours to take that picture of the Orion's Belt @ricardsole.bsky.social manlius.substack.com/p/but-where-...
manlius.substack.com
But where is everybody?
Life, intelligence and the strange problem of meeting each other in a very large Universe
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🚨 Tipping elements are large-scale components of the 🌏 system that may undergo abrupt and potentially irreversible transitions once critical thresholds are crossed 🧪🌐 We show here how their connectivity patterns are weakened under high anthropogenic forcing 👇👇👇 journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Picture reaching for something on a high shelf and coming up short. You don’t give up; instead, you find a stool, carry it over, and climb up. Something remarkable: You held the goal in your mind, identified what you needed, and executed a plan. No training required. www.science.org/content/arti...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Energy crises are powerful drivers, and a €2/litre shock is not the same everywhere I plot the pump price and rescale it by GDP per capita, asking how much of a month’s avg economic output is needed to buy 50 litres. Burden and gains are unequal. Who captures the value created by this crisis?
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
CC @ricardsole.bsky.social “these were goal-directed actions rather than reinforcement-based associations driven by perceptual feedback ... bumble bees can exhibit spontaneous problem-solving, challenging that advanced cognitive abilities are exclusive to large-brained vertebrates“
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Picture reaching for something on a high shelf and coming up short. You don’t give up; instead, you find a stool, carry it over, and climb up. Something remarkable: You held the goal in your mind, identified what you needed, and executed a plan. No training required. www.science.org/content/arti...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Why is it so complicated to find other life forms around the Earth? The laws of biological complexity, technological development and Einstein’s special relativity are playing against the common sense. Why? Read more here: manlius.substack.com/p/but-where-...
manlius.substack.com
But where is everybody?
Life, intelligence and the strange problem of meeting each other in a very large Universe
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Memories of being a kid in the ’90s, watching the ✨ night sky, mixed w: the scientific knowledge I gained later You can’t imagine how happy I am about this piece. And about the cover too: hours to take that picture of the Orion's Belt @ricardsole.bsky.social manlius.substack.com/p/but-where-...
manlius.substack.com
But where is everybody?
Life, intelligence and the strange problem of meeting each other in a very large Universe
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This one could be of interest for you: @ricardsole.bsky.social @giuliofirenze.bsky.social #ComplexSystems #Ecosystems #NetworkScience
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🚨 Tipping elements are large-scale components of the 🌏 system that may undergo abrupt and potentially irreversible transitions once critical thresholds are crossed 🧪🌐 We show here how their connectivity patterns are weakened under high anthropogenic forcing 👇👇👇 journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I am really enjoying my discussions with the ghosts of those brilliant minds. Thanks Tiago for the feedback!
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is part of a short series of posts building on our recent paper with @tiago.skewed.de @piratepeel.bsky.social and @thilogross.bsky.social The links to the previous ones: 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/do-higher-... 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/is-complex... 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/higher-ord...
manlius.substack.com
Do higher-order interactions need higher-order networks?
Higher-order interactions exist. Whether they require a higher-order representation is a different scientific question.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A HON is not strictly required by higher-order dynamics. Today, in this new #ComplexityThoughts we discuss how and whether it is the best scientific representation and under which conditions. This time we ask Newton and Kepler for some help. Read it here 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/when-is-a-...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thanks Gemma, that was out of my radar. I will check it, especially if you have a formal result.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The debate about higher-order networks continues. It’s moving towards a fruitful discussion, but it needs time. I unpack for #ComplexityThoughts my take on a recent paper appeared on the arXiv: manlius.substack.com/p/do-higher-... #ComplexSystems
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The debate about higher-order networks continues. It’s moving towards a fruitful discussion, but it needs time. I unpack for #ComplexityThoughts my take on a recent paper appeared on the arXiv: manlius.substack.com/p/do-higher-... #ComplexSystems
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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Science will always be a target for movements that rely on constructing their own version of reality.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#ComplexityThoughts #90: fungal webs 🍄 + nanoparticle graphs ⚛️ + robot fish 🐟🤖 + deep-life microbes 🦠. Add wildlife pathogens, a dash of superintelligence tests 🧠, neural nets at the edge of chaos, and 8.2M synthetic molecules 🧪 Stir until complexity emerges 🌀 manlius.substack.com/p/complexity...
manlius.substack.com
Complexity Thoughts: Issue #90
Unraveling complexity: building knowledge, one paper at a time
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#ComplexityThoughts #90: fungal webs 🍄 + nanoparticle graphs ⚛️ + robot fish 🐟🤖 + deep-life microbes 🦠. Add wildlife pathogens, a dash of superintelligence tests 🧠, neural nets at the edge of chaos, and 8.2M synthetic molecules 🧪 Stir until complexity emerges 🌀 manlius.substack.com/p/complexity...
manlius.substack.com
Complexity Thoughts: Issue #90
Unraveling complexity: building knowledge, one paper at a time
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Mando: This Is The Way
ALT: Mando: This Is The Way
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Drop me an email to my institutional account and I will surely do
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Do you love data and complex systems, and would you like to learn how to work w/ both? Apply to our Physics of Data MSc programme at the U. of Padua (Galileo's university!) and choose our track in #ComplexSystems To get a sense of who we are and what we do, watch👇: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev_I...
youtube.com
GALILEO’S VIDEO SERIES S1E2 - COMPLEX SYSTEMS RESEARCH
YouTube video by Aula Rostagni UniPadova DFA
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A while ago I started an interesting discussion with @pessoabrain.bsky.social about the role of networks in modeling and describing biological systems. It triggered a sequence of talks and papers, and it's still ongoing. Science at its best. My latest comment: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Flame and Horsehead nebulae together with M42, in Orion. About 2.5h integrated exposure from the urban area of Padua, a Bortle 7-8 sky, without a telescope: just a 300mm lens. Not the best picture of that beautiful area of the universe, but it is amazing I can “see” it.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Useful links: ℹ️ Info: pod.dfa.unipd.it 📄 How to apply?: apply.unipd.it/courses/cour... Feel free to drop me an email for further information. I will be teaching two courses in the track: 1. Physics of Complex Networks: Structure and Dynamics 2.Dynamical Models for Climate 2/2
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Do you love data and complex systems, and would you like to learn how to work w/ both? Apply to our Physics of Data MSc programme at the U. of Padua (Galileo's university!) and choose our track in #ComplexSystems To get a sense of who we are and what we do, watch👇: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev_I...
youtube.com
GALILEO’S VIDEO SERIES S1E2 - COMPLEX SYSTEMS RESEARCH
YouTube video by Aula Rostagni UniPadova DFA
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Useful links: ℹ️ Info: pod.dfa.unipd.it 📄 How to apply?: apply.unipd.it/courses/cour... Feel free to drop me an email for further information. I will be teaching two courses in the track: 1. Physics of Complex Networks: Structure and Dynamics 2.Dynamical Models for Climate
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The best thing is that now we are working together to reconcile the two viewpoints. Stay tuned!
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A while ago I started an interesting discussion with @pessoabrain.bsky.social about the role of networks in modeling and describing biological systems. It triggered a sequence of talks and papers, and it's still ongoing. Science at its best. My latest comment: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...
mathandai.org
Declaration — Math and AI
Read the declaration and add your name.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Sorry, but AI did not officially solve Navier–Stokes. Yet. It seems that someone should say that, in this AI madness. This is how rigor gets traded for virality. And it is also how propAIganda works. #ComplexityThoughts 👉 manlius.substack.com/p/no-ai-hasn...
manlius.substack.com
No, AI hasn’t officially solved Navier–Stokes. Yet
PropAIganda, now with a Millennium Prize Problem
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Quanta's headline is monumentally misleading, I think.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
No, AI hasn't officially solved a Millennium Prize Problem (yet). It has produced a candidate solution. That's amazing — and potentially historic — but it is not an accepted solution yet. As of today, the Clay Mathematics Institute still lists the Navier–Stokes problem as Unsolved. 1/2
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Stop writing and talking about things you don't even care to check. As a reader, you should seek out factually accurate information, not misinformation. www.claymath.org/millennium/n... 2/2
claymath.org
Navier-Stokes Equation - Clay Mathematics Institute
This is the equation which governs the flow of fluids such as water and air. However, there is no proof for the most basic questions one can ask: do solutions exist, and are they unique? Why ask for a...
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
No, AI hasn't officially solved a Millennium Prize Problem (yet). It has produced a candidate solution. That's amazing — and potentially historic — but it is not an accepted solution yet. As of today, the Clay Mathematics Institute still lists the Navier–Stokes problem as Unsolved. 1/2
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
💯
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
That's a good question. I guess so, but I should see some data first. At the same time, with smartphones there is not the same level of cognitive offloading, things might be different.
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
An LLM explaining a paper about LLMs as a cognitive virus. I fed our paper into NotebookLM. This is what it produced. @ricardsole.bsky.social @drmichaellevin.bsky.social
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
There is much more, and I’m writing a full #ComplexityThoughts piece on the mechanism, the assumptions and what “cognitive immunization” could actually mean. Stay tuned! 👉 manlius.substack.com
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Gradual increases in reliance favors cognitive offloading and can push the system past a tipping point: cognitive dependence rises abruptly, and bringing adoption back to its previous level may no longer restore the previous state. Hysteresis! 2/
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🚨 In our new paper with @ricardsole.bsky.social @drmichaellevin.bsky.social and many other outstanding colleagues, we model LLM adoption as a population process: Large-Language Models as a “Cognitive Virus”. What did we find? 🧵 1/ 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2609.03344
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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Starting from the idea of "language as a virus", we study the propagation dynamics of LLMs using an epidemic model with cooperation. A great collaboration with @brigan.bsky.social @marktas.bsky.social @sfelena.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social D Krakauer $ @drmichaellevin.bsky.social
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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Are AI agents really building “civilisations,” or are we turning a security incident into science fiction? Here, @manlius.bsky.social examines how anthropomorphic language transforms unexpected machine behaviour into stories of agency, conspiracy, and rebellion manlius.substack.com/p/propaigand...
manlius.substack.com
PropAIganda: from AI incident to AI mythology
How a remarkable cybersecurity experiment became a story about civilizations, conspiracies and secret swarms
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Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Our efforts to counter misinformation about AI will never be enough. But we should keep trying. Here is my short piece for #ComplexityThoughts on how an AI incident turned into an AI apocalypse on social media. This is part of a phenomenon I call propAIganda. manlius.substack.com/p/propaigand...
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