ABSTRACT
The concept of complexity and the study of complex systems represent an important focus of research in contemporary science. Although one might say that its formal core lies in mathematics and physics, complexity in a broad sense is certainly one of the most interdisciplinary issues scientists of almost any conceivable background talk about today. Beyond the traditional disciplines of the natural sciences, the “virus” of complexity has even crossed the border to areas like psychology, sociology, ecology and others. It is entirely impossible to address all approaches and applications that are presently known comprehensively here; good overviews including state-of-the-art articles as well as more tentative ideas are contained in [1,2]. Who ever seriously reviews this novel and promising area of research cannot avoid being impressed by its richness, its recent progress, and its relevance for most urgent problems of today, in science as well as society.
