This book deals with randomly moving objects and their spreading. The objects considered are particles like atoms and molecules, but also living beings such as humans, animals, plants, bacteria and even abstract entities like ideas, rumors, information, innovations and linguistic features. The book explores and communicates the laws behind these movements and reports about astonishing similarities and very specific features typical of the given object under considerations. Leading scientists in disciplines as diverse as archeology, epidemics, linguistics and sociology, in collaboration with their colleagues from engineering, natural sciences and mathematics, introduce the phenomena of spreading as relevant for their fields. An introductory chapter on “Spreading Fundamentals” provides a common basis for all these considerations, with a minimum of mathematics, selected and presented for enjoying rather than frustrating the reader.

Epidemic Spreading.- Hot Brownian Motion: Experiment.- Nature-Inspired Transport Optimization.- The Neolithic Transition.- Spreading Innovations.- Expansion of Language Families.- The Expansion of Farming.- Spreading of Failures in the Internet and in Power Grids.- Analyzing Language Shift.- Search for Food of Birds, Fish and Insects.- Uphill Diffusion.- Hot Brownian Motion: Theory.- Dispersal in Plants and Animals.- Diffusive Transport in Non-Equilibrium Steady State.- A New Class of Superspreader.- Transport Systems Living Organisms.- Brain Structure Revealed by Diffusive Spread of Molecules.- NMR Versatility.- Spore Dispersal in Lower Organisms.- Diffusion Processes in Atmospheric Physics.- Language Migration.