We illustrate the general principle that in biophysics, econophysics a
nd possibly even city growth, the conceptual framework provided by sca
ling and universality may be of use in making sense of complex statist
ical data. Specifically, we discuss recent work on DNA sequences, hear
tbeat intervals, avalanche-like lung inflation, urban growth, and comp
any growth. Although our main focus is on data, we also discuss statis
tical mechanical models.