Can physics explain political polarization?

In an interview published by the Austrian newspaper Die Presse on November 15, 2025, journalist Claudia Lagler highlights Palacios’ use of phase transitions (the process by which systems such as water shift between liquid, solid, and gas) to explore whether similar structural flips occur in biological or social domains. Central to her work is criticality, a critical point where small triggers can coordinate and reorient entire systems, producing large effects.

https://www.diepresse.com/20305156/kann-physik-politische-polarisierungen-erklaeren