In the ancolony, there is this stochasticity built into the system and also a certain amount of diversity. So in that sense, one can think of building in robustness into a system just in the sense of solution finding. This is what complex systems do - they never stand still like a bridge. They are always moving and because of this movement being disordered, a disturbance can be resolved as a new solution will be found.
In our last episode with Tyler Marghetis, we learnt about how a complex system can tip from one state into another. But what happens when systems don't tip or fail? What makes a system robust?
In today's episode, we're talking with Karoline Wiesner, a Professor of Complexity Science in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Potsdam, Germany. She breaks down the characteristics of a robust system, through the context of an incredibly robust complex system — the ant colony.
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