The network of neurons in the human brain and the cosmic network of galaxies are two of the most complex systems in nature. Although at largely different scales, it appears that they are more similar than we initially thought! Franco Vazza, an astrophysicist from the University of Bologna, and Alberto Feletti, a neurosurgeon from the University of Verona, teamed up to investigate their commonalities. Their research does not claim that the universe is a “giant brain”. Instead, it claims that the mathematical properties of each network work in a similar way.
What are the similarities?
We can think of both the human brain and the universe as networks of neurons and galaxies, respectively. Such networks are organised in structures of filaments, nodes and voids. The human brain functions due to a wide neural network of around 69 billion neurons. The universe works as a similar network composed of at least 100 billion galaxies. About 77% of the mass in the brain is water. In comparison, about 70% of the mass in the universe is dark energy. The further 23% of mass in the brain comes from the neurons, and in the universe the further 30% from galaxies. Here we can start to see why the brain and the universe function in similar ways.
The researchers calculated different parameters, one being spectral density. This is a common mathematical technique, most often used to study spatial distributions of galaxies. It was found that the distribution of the fluctuation within a neural network follows the same pattern as matter in the universe. The brain network works on a scale between 1 micrometre to 0.1 millimetres, whereas the universe network works on a much larger scale between 5 million to 500 million light years. Multiple other mathematical techniques identified similar patterns.
Why is this research useful?
Although these links are mainly coincidences, it is fascinating that, at such largely different scales, we can map out similar activity in the brain and universe. Both the brain and the universe contain areas of research that are largely undiscovered by scientists. In fact, scientists are still unaware of how these networks were formed in the first place. Therefore, new data in either field may help contribute to research in the other. This study will also prompt neuroscientists and cosmologists to work together to come up with new research techniques, in what once may have been an unlikely pairing.
