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The human brain is the most complex thing in the cosmos, with scientists claiming they know more about the Universe than they do about the organ inside our heads. But new research has found that the two are not dissimilar. The new study found that neural networks in the brain have a similar structure to the way the observable Universe is made up.
While the scale is obviously vastly different, the structures are very similar and interact with each other in the same way.
The study by astrophysicist from the University of Bologna Franco Vazza and neurosurgeon from the University of Verona Alberto Feletti said that there are almost 70 billion neurons in the network that makes up the brain.
There are at least 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.
In both cases, galaxies and neurons account for about 30 percent of the effective mass of the brain and the Universe.
Each system is assembled into a complex web, or network, which develops into long strips and filaments.
The remaining mass of galaxies is 70% dark energy, while the brain is 70% water.
Mr. Vazza said: “We calculated the spectral density of both systems.
“This is a technique often used in cosmology to study the spatial distribution of galaxies.
READ MORE: Astronomers devise a way to “see” dark matter halos around galaxies
“These two complex networks show more similarities than those shared between the cosmic network and a galaxy or a neuronal network and the interior of a neuronal body.”
The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers of Physics.
The team hopes their findings will help those in neurology and cosmology paint a better picture of the evolution and future of the brain and the Universe.
Other experts believe that consciousness in the brain pervades the cosmos.
It is a theory known as panpsychism and philosopher Dr. Philip Goff believes it is a way to define consciousness and include it in the scientific world.
The Deputy Director of Philosophy at Durham University, author of the new book Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, told Scientific American: “The basic commitment is that the fundamental constituents of reality – possibly electrons and quarks – are incredibly simple forms of experience.
“It is at least consistent to suppose that this vanishing continuum of consciousness without ever completely extinguishing turns into inorganic matter, with fundamental particles having almost unimaginably simple forms of experience to reflect their incredibly simple nature. This is what panpsychists believe.
“What this offers us is a wonderfully simple and elegant way of integrating consciousness into our scientific worldview of marrying what we know about ourselves from the inside and what science tells us about matter from the outside.”
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