The hidden networks of everything | Albert-László Barabási

This interview is an episode from @The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation.

Our world is filled with an abundance of data. Albert-László Barabási, a network scientist, believes that understanding the underlying structure and relationships of complex systems is crucial. Barabási’s research has challenged the notion of random connections and led to the discovery of a more accurate representation of how these systems are organized.

Barabási’s exploration began with the vast internet. Surprisingly, he found that the intricate web of connections did not follow random patterns but instead followed a power load distribution. He named these networks “scale-free networks.”

Barabási’s groundbreaking work reveals that new connections in our networks tend to form with already well-connected elements. Scale-free networks exist in various complex systems, such as cellular interactions and social networks. This discovery is an important step toward comprehending the remarkable complexity that arises from countless interactions among the world’s many components.

0:00 Networks: How the world works
1:23 The theory of random graphs
3:15 What is network science?
6:49 Complex systems

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About Albert-László Barabási:
Albert-László Barabási is a network scientist, fascinated with a wide range of topics, from unveiling the structure of the brain and treating diseases using network medicine to the emergence of success in art and how science really works. His research has helped unveil the hidden order behind various complex systems using the quantitative tools of network science, a research field that he pioneered, and has led to the discovery of scale-free networks, helping explain the emergence of many natural, technological, and social networks.

Barabási is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the author of The Formula (Little Brown), Network Science (Cambridge), Bursts (Dutton), and Linked (Penguin). He co-edited Network Medicine (Harvard, 2017) and The Structure and Dynamics of Networks (Princeton, 2005). His books have been translated into over twenty languages.

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About The Well
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

Together, let's learn from them.

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[bigthink]

What's a hidden network that you find fascinating?

[lisafolsom]

Collect enough data and anything random becomes a pattern… things DO happen for a reason- but not the ones we usually think of.

[sophiaisabelle]

This channel is always the best at what they do. The information they provide is everything that we could possibly need.

[trukoppa]

Like mushrooms and mycelium networks, our interconnectedness with the world around us is essential for our survival and well-being. Just as mycelium networks support the growth and health of entire ecosystems, so too can we create systems that support the well-being of our communities and planet. By recognizing and harnessing the power of natural networks, we can work towards a more sustainable and interconnected future. It all starts with learning from the wisdom of the Earth and embracing the power of mycelium and other natural networks.

[alansouza]

Interessantíssimo!!! Interessantíssimo!!! Interessantíssimo!!!

[besknighter]

Systems thinking, Networking/Graph Theory and Statistics are looking ever more important if you want to have a deep understanding of stuff.

[PhantomRaspberryBlower]

If we can stop people using averages, and start looking at distributions instead, we can begin to explain and understand the real challenges society faces.

[grantsmythe]

Really like this channel. You get what you get quickly and in digestible form.

[ERENOVV]

The fabric of the universe weaves through fractal geometry.

[mmarinete]

Interessantíssimo!!! Interessantíssimo!!! Interessantíssimo!!!
Graph theory, scale-free network, social science, game theory, internet, science and society

[BrunoGabrielAraujoLebtag]

This connects directly with assembly theory... very interesting...

[thefreshest]

Regression to the mean is basically what's happening with the random networks

[hwway]

Graph theory and neural networks. Facebook and LinkedIn folks

[mrlanpp]

The World Wide Web grows on an organic substrate of evolving narrative interactivity.

[james.peronoblunt]

We are such a complex for of life yet so beautiful

[jeffbarnes]

The essential thing that everyone should be thinking about right now is investing in non-government sources of income. Especially in light of the current global economic crisis. It is still a wonderful moment to invest in gold, silver, digital money, and stocks.

[blackrpatz]

i was literally just thinking of buying this book on social network theory that's been sitting in my save for later on amazon, and then this vid gets recommended 👀

[Armelaz]

2:57 isn't it a Gaussian distribution?

[frun]

It's interesting if there can be an algorithm, that can grow the whole network, starting from a single node. We have algorithms for fractals, so why can't we have them for networks? In physics, edges, connecting nodes may be associated with time(causal sets).

[global_nomad.]

a great and very clear explanation, thank you. will be useful in my teaching