Here the problem is to understand how unexpected properties arise from the interactions of the component elements of a complex system, which can be physical, chemical, biological or social. These are called emergent properties, because the system as a whole displays behaviour that is unpredictable from an observation of the interactions of its component parts. For instance, colonies of social insects such as bees, wasps, termites and ants achieve remarkable feats of organization and co-ordinated action that go so far beyond the capacities of the individuals that the colony is often described as a superorganism, an emergent whole with properties of its own. Termites construct their beautifully intricate colonial dwellings through processes that look anything but organized. Yet out of the activities of termite construction gangs that form and disperse in apparently chaotic patterns, there emerge coherently structured apartments, complete with air conditioning, that accommodate thousands of inhabitants.
Nature is full of creative surprises.
The science of complexity explores, by means of observation, mathematical modelling and computer simulation, how this creativity of natural process can be understood even if it cannot be predicted or controlled. Nature doesn't suddenly produce something out of nothing. Western science has now arrived at a dramatic turning point. Scientific knowledge was intended to reveal the laws of nature which we could then use for prediction and control of natural processes. This knowledge has given us a remarkable range of very useful technologies, and this process will continue.