Probably, the connectivity within the two networks evolves following similar physical principles, despite the striking and obvious difference between the physical powers regulating galaxies and neurons,' Feletti, from the University of Verona in Italy, said in the press release. 'Once again, structural parameters have identified unexpected agreement levels. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play The teetering balance between the pull of gravity and the accelerated expansion of the universe forms a cosmic web of string-like filaments composed of ordinary and dark matter. In a bizarre coincidence, the observable universe also contains an estimated 100 billion galaxies.

But these neurons make up less than 25 percent the mass of your brain, leaving the remaining 75 percent as water. Neurons are clustered into a hierarchical network of nodes, filaments, and interconnected neural clusters that shape the complex thoughts, feelings, and emotions you experience. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nearly 100 billion neurons that form 100 trillion neural connections. It might just make you think we're all living in one big simulation after all. Come join the weird world of Pop Mech.Īnd when astrophysicist Franco Vazza and neuroscientist Alberto Feletti crunched the numbers and compared the two structures numerically, the similarities become even more astounding.

When scientists looked at two of the most complex and fascinating structures known to science-the human network of neurons in your brain and the cosmic web of galaxies-the resemblance seemed uncanny.

The researchers used a combination of methods from cosmology, neuroscience, and network analysis to quantitatively compare the two.ĭescribing the human brain as a 3-pound universe may be closer to the truth than we thought.

Despite the substantial difference in scale, the two complex systems are strikingly alike.

An astrophysicist and neuroscientist teamed up to compare similarities between the universe and networks of neurons in the brain.

Neurons in brain