Honeybees have been dying in record numbers, threatening the continued production of nutritious foods such as apples, nuts, blueberries, broccoli, and onions. Without bees to pollinate these crops, the environmental ecosystem--and our health--stands in the balance. Have we reached the tipping point, where the plant-pollinator system is due to collapse?
There was no way to calculate that--until now.
Using statistical physics, Northeastern network theorist Albert-László Barabási and his colleagues Jianxi Gao and Baruch Barzel have developed a tool to identify that tipping point--for everything from ecological systems such as bees and plants to technological systems such as power grids. It opens the door to planning and implementing preventive measures before it's too late, as well as preparing for recovery after a disaster.
The tool, described in a new paper published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, fills a longstanding gap in scientists' understanding of what determines "resilience"-- that is, a system's ability to adjust to disturbances, both internal and external, in order to remain functional.
This is hugely significant, if true. To read more, click here.