Ubiquity

The Science of History, or Why the World is Simpler than we Think

Scientists have recently discovered a new law of nature. Its footprints are virtually everywhere - in the spread of forest fires, mass extinctions, traffic jams, earthquakes, stock-market fluctuations, the rise and fall of nations, and even trends in fashion, music and art. Wherever we look, the world is modelled on a simple template: like a steep pile of sand, it is poised on the brink of instability, with avalanches - in events, ideas or whatever - following a universal pattern of change.

This remarkable discovery heralds the so-called new science of ubiquity, a science whose secret lies in the stuff of the everyday world. This enthralling book documents the coming revolution by telling the story of the researchers' exploration of the law, their ingenious work and unexpected insights. It reveals how the principle of ubiquity will help us to manage, control and predict the future. Every decade sees a major scientific breakthrough that has implications that go way beyond science. 'Ubiquity' is one of them. This book will change how we think about the world and our place in it.