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
È bello cercare la bellezza nascosta dove sembra esserci solo buio. È bello stupirsi ancora una volta, nonostante tutto.
Cintura e Nebulosa di Orione (ovvero come rilassarsi a LBT, a fine notte, dopo le osservazioni).
Che la serata sia un abbraccio 🫂
Cintura e Nebulosa di Orione (ovvero come rilassarsi a LBT, a fine notte, dopo le osservazioni).
Che la serata sia un abbraccio 🫂
November 14, 2025 at 6:47 PM
È bello cercare la bellezza nascosta dove sembra esserci solo buio. È bello stupirsi ancora una volta, nonostante tutto.
Cintura e Nebulosa di Orione (ovvero come rilassarsi a LBT, a fine notte, dopo le osservazioni).
Che la serata sia un abbraccio 🫂
Cintura e Nebulosa di Orione (ovvero come rilassarsi a LBT, a fine notte, dopo le osservazioni).
Che la serata sia un abbraccio 🫂
Understanding the process that favored the emergence of life is not just about looking backward to 🌎’s first dawn: it’s about learning how complexity itself begins and how it might arise again, elsewhere.
Life as a cascade of transitions?
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/when-matte...
Life as a cascade of transitions?
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/when-matte...
November 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Understanding the process that favored the emergence of life is not just about looking backward to 🌎’s first dawn: it’s about learning how complexity itself begins and how it might arise again, elsewhere.
Life as a cascade of transitions?
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/when-matte...
Life as a cascade of transitions?
#ComplexityThoughts
manlius.substack.com/p/when-matte...
Absolutely stunning how media give so much voice to a scientist talking about international conspiracies to hide the "truth" about a gigantic alien spaceship, publishing "articles" on social media.
While no voice is given to scientists publishung everyday evidence on real pressing problems.
🤦
While no voice is given to scientists publishung everyday evidence on real pressing problems.
🤦
November 14, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Absolutely stunning how media give so much voice to a scientist talking about international conspiracies to hide the "truth" about a gigantic alien spaceship, publishing "articles" on social media.
While no voice is given to scientists publishung everyday evidence on real pressing problems.
🤦
While no voice is given to scientists publishung everyday evidence on real pressing problems.
🤦
Reposted by Manlio De Domenico
In Padua on Nov 20th?
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
November 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
In Padua on Nov 20th?
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
In Padua on Nov 20th?
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
November 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
In Padua on Nov 20th?
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
I’ll give a public non-technical talk, in the beautiful Sala del Romanino at the Eremitani Museum
In 40 minutes, we’ll travel from 3340 B.C. to 2100, exploring how demons, oracles & models have helped humans make sense of the world. Join!
🔗 www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-...
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...