The structure of the universe and
the laws that govern its growth may be more similar than previously thought to
the structure and growth of the human brain and other complex networks, such as
the Internet or a social network of trust relationships between people. Having
the ability to predict – let alone trying to control – the dynamics of complex
networks remains a central challenge throughout network science. Structural and
dynamical similarities among different real networks suggest that some
universal laws might be in action, although the nature and common origin of
such laws remain elusive.
By performing complex
supercomputer simulations of the universe and using a variety of other
calculations, researchers have now proven that the causal network representing
the large-scale structure of space and time in our accelerating universe is a
graph that shows remarkable similarity to many complex networks such as the
Internet, social, or even biological networks. These findings have key
implications for both network science and cosmology. Researchers discovered
that the large-scale growth dynamics of complex networks and causal networks
are asymptotically (at large times) the same, explaining the structural
similarity between these networks.
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