‘Simplexus’ in ComPlexUs: Meeting the Challenge of Complexity Sciences

After 2 years, ComPlexUs seems to meet a widespread demand. In different fi elds researchers feel the need for new tools in order to confront, analyze and understand the complexity of the real world. Postgenomic biology, or functional genomics or ‘systems biology’, as it is also named, provide many opportunities to test this new paradigm. However, similar problems are encountered in other disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, and economics, while similar tools are borrowed from physics, mathematics and computer sciences. Previous and current issues contain several articles with new insights in the fi elds not only of functional genomics, proteomics and cell biology, but also health management, transportation systems, neuroendocrinology and psychology. Special issues are in preparation on the complexity of the microbial world, including contributions to the ‘European Conference on Complex Systems’, Paris, 2005.