Allesina λab Theoretical ecology & more
Network Spandrels
Biological networks show strong departures from simple models of random graphs. For example, they display broader degree distributions, high modularity, and strong preponderance of certain motifs. One might be tempted to interpret these features as a signal of a selective force pruning the space of possible networks, resulting in empirical netw... Read more 05 Feb 2018 - 1 minute read
3 ≫ 2
In a new paper published today in Nature, we show that Higher-Order Interactions (HOIs) can have dramatic effects on the dynamics of ecological systems. Jacopo Grilli, György Barabás, Matthew J. Michalska-Smith & Stefano Allesina Higher-order interactions stabilize dynamics in competitive network models Nature, 2017 I have written a short ... Read more 26 Jul 2017 - less than 1 minute read
What's in a last name?
In a new paper published today in PNAS, Jacopo and I try to extract as much information as possible from an ostensibly meager source of data: a list of the names of all the researchers working in Italy, at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France, and at public universities in the US. We show that by using simple randomization... Read more 03 Jul 2017 - 2 minute read
Quality vs Quantity.... or not?
It is not unusual to read the tirade of a senior scientist complaining that science was better back then, when papers were fewer, and ideas better (a perfect example of this genre is here). Usually, the conclusion is that we should publish less, lest producing lower-quality science. These considerations are based on a quite precise hypothesis— t... Read more 06 Jun 2017 - 1 minute read
Coexistence for more than two species
One of the main obsessions in the laboratory is to build robust ecological theories for communities composed of many species. This is especially important in competitive systems–much of our understanding in this area descends from the analysis of the dynamics of two competitors. In a new review published this week in Nature, Jonathan Levine, J... Read more 01 Jun 2017 - 1 minute read