author : Albert-László Barabási

Now, for the first time, a scientist whose own work has transformed the study of “links and nodes” takes us inside the unfolding network revolution. Albert-László Barabási traces the fascinating history of connected systems, beginning with Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler’s first forays into graph theory in the late 1700s and culminating in biologists’ development of cancer drugs based on a new understanding of cellular networks. Combining narrative flare with sparkling insights, Barabási introduces us to the myriad modern-day “cartographers” who are mapping networks in a wide range of scientific disciplines. Aided by powerful computers, these scientists are proving that social networks, corporations, and cells are more similar than they are different. Their discoveries are providing an important new perspective on the interconnected world around us.

Linked reveals how Google came to be the Internet’s most popular search engine, and how Vernon Jordan’s social network affects the American economy as a whole. We find out what it would take to bring down a terrorist organization like Al Qaeda, and why an obscure finding of Einstein’s could change the way we look at the networks in our own lives. Indeed, understanding the structure and behavior of networks will forever alter our world, allowing us to design the “perfect” business or stop a disease outbreak before it goes global.

Engaging and authoritative, Linked provides an exciting preview of the next century in science.

Compellingly illustrated with accounts of a bloody medieval crusade in sixteenth-century Transylvania and of a contemporary artist hunted by the FBI, Bursts reveals that we are far more predictable than we like to think.