In addition, they used a "population dynamics" model describing the mating patterns and breeding success of emperor penguins.

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The magic is not in a particular model but in the dynamics of platform competition.

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The essentials of the model, that system dynamics, in reacting to small changes in demand, have a huge detrimental impact on capacity levels, were introduced by Jay Forrester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s.

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But in constructing the first atmospheric model that has the orbital dynamics of a star-planet-moon system fully included, astronomers Duncan Forgan, at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, and David Kipping, at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, turn that idea on its head.

FORBES: Earth-Like Exo-Moons Can Lurk Well Beyond Planetary Habitable Zones, Say Astronomers

The company therefore developed a complex model that took all the frequently changing dynamics of the cargo industry into account, as well as opportunities for different negotiation strategies based on supply and demand.

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In a study published last year in Conservation Letters, a group of scientists led by Brian MacKenzie, of the Technical University of Denmark, describe how they ran a computer model of the bluefin tuna's population dynamics.

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Scott-Young's previous foray into unscripted television was UPN's "Road To Stardom with Missy Elliott" -- a quasi-mash-up of "America's Next Top Model" and '"American Idol" -- back in 2005, but the treacherous family dynamics and scandalous love lives of hip-hop stars is proving to be a winning recipe.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS