Tia Ghose — Universe Grows Like a Giant Brain

The universe may grow like a giant brain, according to a new computer simulation.The results, published Nov.16 in the journal Nature's Scientific Reports, suggest that some undiscovered, fundamental laws may govern the growth of systems large and small, from the electrical firing between brain cells and growth of social networks to the expansion of galaxies.

"Natural growth dynamics are the same for different real networks, like the Internet or the brain or social networks," said study co-author Dmitri Krioukov, a physicist at the University of California San Diego...

The eerie similarity between networks large and small is unlikely to be a coincidence, Krioukov said.

"For a physicist it's an immediate signal that there is some missing understanding of how nature works," Krioukov said.

It's more likely that some unknown law governs the way networks grow and change, from the smallest brain cells to the growth of mega-galaxies, Krioukov said.

"This result suggests that maybe we should start looking for it," Krioukov told LiveScience.

Live Science
Universe Grows Like a Giant Brain

Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer | November 26, 2012