Social systems as a research area investigates structured patterns of social relationships, interactions, and institutions using formal theories and empirical methods drawn from sociology, systems theory, network science, and related fields. It focuses on the dynamic organization of individuals, groups, and organizations into interdependent networks, analyzing feedback processes, emergence, stability, and change. Researchers model social systems at multiple scales, from micro-level interactions to macro-level structures, often employing mathematical modeling, agent-based simulations, and quantitative data analysis to study phenomena such as coordination, cooperation, inequality, diffusion, governance, and resilience in complex, adaptive social environments.
Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include ...
Plants & Animals
2 hours ago
0
0
Although the clean energy transition offers major opportunities, a new report from University of Aberdeen researchers warns that current governance arrangements may leave coastal communities bearing the cost of energy transition ...
Environment
Jun 4, 2026
0
6
Europe's agrifood system is under severe pressure. Climate change is causing droughts and floods, and agriculture is putting pressure on nature, the climate and the environment. Diet-related lifestyle diseases are placing ...
Agriculture
Jun 2, 2026
0
17
Among the goals it has set for 2030, the European Union aims to ensure that at least one quarter of agricultural land is farmed using organic or ecological practices. In this race, Andalusia holds a significant advantage: ...
Agriculture
Jun 2, 2026
0
11
In early 2026, the EU extended its domestic carbon pricing to key products from beyond its borders. This is managed through the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" (CBAM). Exporters of polluting goods to the EU must pay ...
Environment
Jun 1, 2026
0
11
The Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), in collaboration with other academic institutions, has published a new study on start-ups in the agricultural sector in the journal Progress in Economic Geography. ...
Agriculture
May 28, 2026
0
13
Spotted hyenas live in hierarchically organized groups (clans). An individual's dominance over another determines priority access to resources such as food or mating partners, and thus reproductive success. However, the rank ...
Plants & Animals
May 28, 2026
0
9
Go vegan, ditch the car, avoid air travel. Or forget all that—because it's corporations and governments that are really to blame. This argument can feel quite paralyzing, but what if this is the wrong debate to have?
Environment
May 27, 2026
0
12
When the loss of a queen wasp triggers a power struggle and social turmoil, colonies can survive the upheaval thanks to helpful wasps that pick up the slack, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
Plants & Animals
May 25, 2026
1
103
A new study, published in Ecology and Evolution, shows that social living is associated with longer lifespan, but also that the benefits of sociality level off once animals move beyond living in pairs.
Evolution
May 22, 2026
0
25
