Researchers at the New England Complex Systems Institute have come up with a computer model that can predict what regions of the world will erupt in social violence, or what areas are more likely to be peaceful. From Wired: “between-group violence is unlikely when one of two conditions are met: Either diverse communities are so well-integrated as to prevent any one group from dominating, or — lacking such integration — when political or geographic boundaries match demographic borders.”

Researchers tested their model using data from Switzerland and their findings reinforced their theories. They still need to test the model on many more countries, but the researchers are hoping this system can be used to help inform leaders in policy decisions.