Applied Antifragility in Natural Systems: From Principles to Applications - by Cristian Axenie, Roman Bauer, et al.

Applied Antifragility in Natural Systems explores Nassim Taleb’s concept of antifragility—systems thriving under stress—in natural contexts like biomedicine, neuroscience, and ecology. Authored by the Applied Antifragility Group, the book formalizes antifragility as a design methodology, where systems benefit from uncertainty and volatility. It outlines three scales: intrinsic (nonlinear responses, e.g., cancer therapy adapting to stressors), inherited (evolutionary adaptations, e.g., antibiotic resistance), and induced (control mechanisms, e.g., pest management). Drawing from examples like muscle growth through stress or ecosystems gaining resilience, the text unifies antifragility across disciplines. It critiques over-intervention in complex systems, advocating for minimal interference to let natural processes enhance robustness. The book provides a mathematical framework to quantify antifragility, offering paths to design systems that anticipate and grow from perturbations. Aimed at researchers, it bridges theory and practice, emphasizing real-world applications while noting the need to define operational scales clearly.