Complex Systems: Are cells like the Internet?

Systems as diverse as the Internet or the cell are described by networks with complex topology. Traditionally it has been assumned that these networks are random. However, recent studies indicate that such complex systems emerge as a result of self-organizing processes governed by simple but generic laws, resulting in topologies strikingly different from those predicted by random networks. Such studies also lead to a paradigm shift regarding our approach to complex networks, allowing us to view them as dynamical systems rather than static graphs. I will discuss the implications of these findings on the error and attack tolerance of the Internet and the robustness of the cells.