Cherry-Picking from Complexity Digest

Forgot about Complexity Digest for a while. Some great stuff there – a sampling:

A theory for the formation of large agrarian empires  by Peter Turchin (PDF)

New Insights Into The Dynamics Of The Brain’s Cortex – Science Daily

Natural Security: Ecologist Says Evolution Offers Important Lessons for Security Policy  – AAAS

In regard to the last one: the need for consilient thinking is starting to penetrate the bureaucracy – about goddamn time.