Micro Essays [From the Editor]

Fascinating questions arise when dissimilar objects come into contact. One discipline that articulates this phenomenon is ecology, where edge effect refers to what happens when one type of ecosystem borders another type. For example, when a field abuts a forest, each ecosystem has an effect on the other, at least some distance inward. Edge effects also arise in systems engineering. The digital/analog interface is a ubiquitous case, where sample and hold operations have ramifications that include aliasing. Historically, meetings between diverse groups such as explorers and aboriginals create edge effects. The cultural and social ripples from such interactions make for fascinating but often tragic consequences.