Our Emergent Universe

We live in an emergent universe in which interactions between the basic building blocks of matter or individuals in our societies give rise to unpredicted and unexpected emergent behavior at every scale.

Examples of emergent behavior range from the origin of life to the onset of consciousness in an infant, the appearance of superconductivity at high temperatures in cuprate materials, or the interplay between individuals, markets, and governments that leads to an economy.

To learn more, visit the Emergent Universe Museum.

Emergence may seem to be a highly abstract concept, yet many aspects of our daily lives are expressions of it –refrigerator magnets, the internet, ipods, traffic jams, air turbulence, fashion trends, online dating pools, elections, and weather patterns.

In the search for the principles responsible for emergent behavior, be it in ourselves, living matter, quantum matter, or the cosmos, scientists carry out experiments and make observations.

They analyze data to investigate the patterns or regularities that characterize emergent behavior. Their studies may include:

• manifestations of superconductivity or magnetism in metals
• how individual cells arrange themselves to create the vital organs
• historical changes in global climate
• the appearance of structure in the universe

Researchers recognize that more is different: Understanding the fundamental laws that govern the components of our emergent universe is only the beginning of an understanding of how these behave when brought together.

Thus matter in bulk behaves very differently, and unexpectedly so, than do the individual electrons, nuclei, atoms, molecules or individuals that are its fundamental constituents.

Societies behave very differently, and unexpectedly so, than do the individuals that are their fundamental constituents.

Rather than focusing on the behavior and properties of the indivisible parts, the study of emergent behavior asks questions of the system as a whole.

For more information contact Vladimir Dobrosavljevic at (850) 644-5693, or e-mail vlad@magnet.fsu.edu.