Abstract
We investigate the similarities between two of the most challenging and complex systems in Nature: the network of neuronal cells in the human brain, and the cosmic network of galaxies. We explore the structural, morphological, network properties and the memory capacity of these two fascinating systems, with a quantitative approach. In order to have an homogeneous analysis of both systems, our procedure does not consider the true neural connectivity but an approximation of it, based on simple proximity. The tantalizing degree of similarity that our analysis exposes seems to suggest that the self-organization of both complex systems is likely being shaped by similar principles of network dynamics, despite the radically different scales and processes at play.
Highlights
Central to our vision of Nature are two fascinating systems: the network of neurons in the human brain and the cosmic web of galaxies.The human brain is a complex temporally and spatially multiscale structure in which cellular, molecular and neuronal phenomena coexist
The Universe, according to the large collection of telescope data gathered over many decades, seems to be reasonably well described by a “consensus” physical model called the ΛCDM model (Lambda Cold Dark Matter), which accounts for gravity from ordinary and dark matter, for the expanding space-time described by General Relativity, and for the anti-gravitational energy associated to the empty space, called the “dark energy”
We have presented a detailed comparison between the neuronal network and the cosmic web, two of the most fascinating and complex networks in Nature, with the goal of assessing the level of similarity between these two physical systems in an objective way
Summary
Central to our vision of Nature are two fascinating systems: the network of neurons in the human brain and the cosmic web of galaxies.The human brain is a complex temporally and spatially multiscale structure in which cellular, molecular and neuronal phenomena coexist. The Universe, according to the large collection of telescope data gathered over many decades, seems to be reasonably well described by a “consensus” physical model called the ΛCDM model (Lambda Cold Dark Matter), which accounts for gravity from ordinary and dark matter (i.e., very weakly interacting particles), for the expanding space-time described by General Relativity, and for the anti-gravitational energy associated to the empty space, called the “dark energy”. Such model presently gives the best picture of how cosmic structures have emerged from the expanding background and have formed the cosmic web [e.g., Refs. The initial distribution of matter density fluctuations was early amplified by the action of gravity, and has developed into larger groups or clusters of galaxies, filaments, matter sheets, and voids, in a large-scale web in all directions in space
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