January 19th, 2010 - Len Fisher

THE PERFECT SWARM: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life By Len Fisher, Ph.D.

** LEN FISHER

Birds migrate in form. Locusts fly in swarms. Humans walk on the right side of the sidewalk. One of the greatest discoveries of recent times is that all of these seemingly complex patterns we find in life are often produced when all of the individuals in the group follow the same simple rule. A school of fish, swimming in pattern and rhythm, is governed by one simple precept: "Follow the fish in front." Humans navigating through dense crowds on the sidewalk simply "stay to the right." In the THE PERFECT SWARM: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life (Basic Books; December 8, 2009), IgNobel prize-winner and author of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Len Fisher explains how these processes of "self-organization" reveal themselves in the inanimate worlds of crystals and seashells as well as in living organisms, from bees to ants to human beings. From patterns in growing coral to the source of the global financial meltdown, complexity theory underpins some of the most confounding mysteries in life and provides simple answers for why they occur.

But THE PERFECT SWARM does more than just explain the beauty and utility of complexity theory. Even as Fisher shows how the theory explains the swarm intelligence used by fish, locusts, and birds to navigate their own worlds, the same principles of complexity science that describe those "perfect swarms" can be used by individual humans to create strategies to make better decisions and improve their lives, including how to work better in groups, act as a more effective leader, and increase the value of our social networks.

Fisher's lessons from nature can help us improve and streamline our everyday lives. Fisher makes these important applications of complexity accessible to all-not just the scientifically minded. With light humor and lively prose, THE PERFECT SWARM is as entertaining as it is informative-providing readers with solutions to everyday problems and answers to nagging questions using the science of complexity and swarm intelligence, including:

.What do molecules in your shampoo have in common with people at a party?
.What do successes at major companies have to do with insect behavior?
.How are groups of teenagers and swarms of locusts similar?
.How do ants and humans use the same "social forces" to reach identical goals?
.How can the behavior of bees in a swarm inform us about how to be a good leader?
.How has positive feedback negatively affected the recent financial crisis?
.How did a shipping company use computerized swarm intelligence to save three million gallons of gas in one year?

With implications for business, party-planning, management, and efficiency, THE PERFECT SWARM is a fascinating and functional journey into the science of everyday life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Len Fisher, Ph. D., is the author of Rock, Paper, Scissors; Weighing the Soul; and How to Dunk a Doughnut, which was named Best Popular Science Book of the Year by the American Institute of Physics.