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Article: Better living through chaos.(non-linear dynamics applied to human body)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 18, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The theory of non-linear dynamics could help scientists to understand, and even treat, some medical conditions
THE study of non-linear dynamics, more popularly known as chaos theory, has been hailed as the key to understanding everything from weather systems and earthquakes to traffic jams and stockmarkets. But it is one thing to show that a particular phenomenon displays chaotic behaviour. It is quite another to exploit that knowledge for any useful purpose.
The latest field to embrace the idea of chaos is medicine. Specialists in non-linear dynamics are doing their best to understand the workings of the brain, heart and immune system using chaos ...