Brownian Agents and Active Particles: Collective Dynamics in the Natural and Social Sciences

When we contemplate phenomena as diverse as electrochemical deposition or the spatial patterns of urban development, it is natural to assume that they havenothing incommon. Afterall,therearemanylevelsinthehierarchythat builds up from atoms to human society, and the rules that govern atoms are quite different from those that govern the geographical emergence of a city. The common view among many, if not most, biologists and social scientists is that the devil is entirely in the details. This...