Synopsis: Evolving Efficient Networks

Professor Eleni Katifori and Postdoctoral Fellow Henrik Ronellenfitsch, collaborate to develop a new model to understand how  the growth of the embedding tissue influences the development of the network it contains. The model predicts that as the tissue grows, a hierarchal network develops in stages that resemble the ones found in the human body as well as in plant leaves. The evolved network is close to a global optimum for transport efficiency showcasing that nature can find the best solution to a complicated problem using only simple rules.

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