Mathematicians Predict the Future With Data From the Past

Mathematicians Predict the Future With Data From the Past: In Issac Asimov's classic science fiction saga Foundation, mathematics professor Hari Seldon predicts the future using what he calls psychohistory. Drawing on mathematical models that describe what happened in the past, he anticipates what will happen next, including the fall of the Galactic Empire. That may seem like fanciful stuff. But Peter Turchin is a kind of real-life Hari Seldon -- and he's not alone.