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Dynamical Criticality: Overview and Open Questions

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Abstract

Systems that exhibit complex behaviours are often found in a particular dynamical condition, poised between order and disorder. This observation is at the core of the so-called criticality hypothesis, which states that systems in a dynamical regime between order and disorder attain the highest level of computational capabilities and achieve an optimal trade-off between robustness and flexibility. Recent results in cellular and evolutionary biology, neuroscience and computer science have revitalised the interest in the criticality hypothesis, emphasising its role as a viable candidate general law in adaptive complex systems. This paper provides an overview of the works on dynamical criticality that are — To the best of our knowledge — Particularly relevant for the criticality hypothesis. The authors review the main contributions concerning dynamics and information processing at the edge of chaos, and illustrate the main achievements in the study of critical dynamics in biological systems. Finally, the authors discuss open questions and propose an agenda for future work.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply indebted to Stuart Kauffman for his inspiring ideas and for several discussions on various aspects of the criticality hypothesis. We also gratefully acknowledge useful discussions with David Lane, Alex Graudenzi and Chiara Damiani.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), Campus of Cesena, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Andrea Roli

  2. Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Marco Villani & Roberto Serra

  3. European Centre for Living Technology, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Villani & Roberto Serra

  4. Explora s.r.l., Roma, Italy

    Alessandro Filisetti

  5. European Centre for Living Technology, Venezia, Italy

    Alessandro Filisetti

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  1. Andrea Roli
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  2. Marco Villani
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  4. Roberto Serra
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Correspondence to Andrea Roli.

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This paper was recommended for publication by Editor DI Zengru.

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Roli, A., Villani, M., Filisetti, A. et al. Dynamical Criticality: Overview and Open Questions. J Syst Sci Complex 31, 647–663 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11424-017-6117-5

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