Complexity Science Hub

Computers are physical systems – and physics sets their limits ⚛️💻
In last week’s Masterclass within the CSH Graduate Program, students explored the emerging field of stochastic thermodynamics of computation with David Wolpert, Jan Korbel, and Ben Ansbacher.

From the energy costs of information processing to the role of noise and correlations in complex computing systems, the course connected fundamental physics with questions at the heart of modern computation.

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📢 The 2026 call for the Graduate Program in Complexity Science within the Digital Innovation School ( ) at the Complexity Science Hub opens on August 1.
More information: https://bit.ly/3JLksko

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🏆 Congratulations to our CSH External Faculty member Constantino Tsallis! He has been awarded the 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗣𝗵𝗶 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 2026 for his outstanding generalization of the Boltzmann and Gibbs theory grounded on nonadditive entropies to approach natural, technological, and social complex systems.

The SigmaPhi Prize was instituted by the SigmaPhi Conference to honor outstanding achievements in Statistical Physics. Awarded every three years during the opening session of the conference, each laureate receives a diploma in recognition of their contributions to the field.

This year, Tsallis shares the honor with fellow laureates 𝗘𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗼𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘀 (Harvard University) and 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 (Princeton University).

🔗 More info: http://www.sigmaphi.polito.it/index.php/sigmaphi-prizes

🦴 A bone fracture isn't always "just" a fracture. Especially at an older age, where osteoporosis is common, a fracture can signal underlying bone weakness. Yet, osteoporosis is often diagnosed only after the first, typical "osteoporotic fracture," such as a hip fracture, a new study by the Complexity Science Hub and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology shows.

The researchers examined health records of 1.7 million Austrians aged 50–79 (2003–2014) to understand how osteoporosis and different fracture types cluster together in real clinical practice.

🩻 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱
Osteoporosis isn't systematically documented across fracture types. Hip fractures showed the strongest link to documented osteoporosis, particularly in women over 60. Yet other typical osteoporotic fractures – at the forearm, upper arm, and pelvis – often went unrecognized as signals of underlying bone weakness.

The research revealed a significant gender gap. Women's osteoporosis frequently appeared alongside various chronic conditions. Men, by contrast, were often diagnosed with osteoporosis only after a fracture had already occurred.

👬 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
"Health claims data at this scale lets us see osteoporosis and fractures not as isolated diagnoses, but as part of a much larger, interconnected pattern of conditions over time. That's the kind of picture only a systematic, population-wide analysis can give us," says Elma Hot Dervic, postdoctoral researcher at CSH.

When such findings make it clear that early warning signs are often overlooked, we can draw conclusions for prevention. For example, every fragility fracture should be viewed as a warning sign and followed by thorough evaluation for osteoporosis, according to Roland Kocijan.

Learn more: https://csh.ac.at/news/the-bone-fractures-that-often-go-unlinked-to-osteoporosis/

PS: This is an example of what great collaboration can come out of networking events 🌟

This is certainly not the easiest time for science. But there's work to be done. That's why conversation matters. And this is why today was special – when we welcomed Federal Minister 𝗘𝘃𝗮-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘇𝗹𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 from the Bundesministerium für Frauen, Wissenschaft und Forschung and Florian Atzmüller to the Complexity Science Hub to discuss how research can help address pressing challenges.

Mirta Galesic and 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 shared insights into our work. From polarization, and what research reveals about the mechanisms behind hate speech and how we might counter it, to migration, and how data can help us understand complex dynamics with the potential of grounding debates. Philipp Marxgut also highlighted another important part of our mission: educating the next generation of researchers through the CSH Graduate Program to see how the world is connected, understand its complexity, and use that knowledge to make a difference.

Science exists to make things better. It's about understanding the world – and turning that understanding into ways to make it better.

🚲 Cleaner air, smoother traffic, safer streets, healthier lives – just some of the benefits of hashtag . According to CSH External Faculty member Michael Szell, every kilometer traveled by bike generates €0.18 in societal benefits. Across the EU, that currently amounts to €24 billion, he shared in his talk at the Complexity Science Hub yesterday.

Cities, in particular, stand to benefit from more cycling through improved public health and a better chance of meeting climate targets. So why isn't bicycle infrastructure advancing faster? Michael pointed to two main challenges: political ones – also because current network planning lacks success metrics – and, of course, technical ones.

His answer: data-driven planning.
Together with colleagues, he develops open-source algorithms that help urban planners design better bicycle networks. Their goal is to make the tools free, transparent, reproducible, and accessible – not only for planners, but also for citizens. Interactive visualizations help turn data into a compelling vision for urban cycling.

💪 The result: 𝗕𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗞𝗶𝘁 (https://bikenetkit.org/) – an open toolkit for bicycle network planning (launch is coming soon!)