When it comes to networks, nature has an edge

Originally written by University of New Mexico and published in phys.or 
on March 17, 2026
Edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Robert Egan

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain 


Networks exist in both nature—such as biological systems like food webs and gene regulatory networks—and in engineered systems as seen in power grids. Though natural and engineered systems share an overarching goal—providing a mechanism for interacting components to transmit information—one system appears to have a clear advantage, according to findings published recently by a University of New Mexico-led team. In this case, the team found that nature does its best when it comes to networks.

New study compares natural and man-made networks

"The Frequency Response of Networks as Open Systems," published in Nature Communications, was authored by former UNM graduate student Amirhossein Nazerian, now at Colorado State University; Malbor Asilani, Florida State University; Melvyn Tyloo, University of Exeter; Wai Lim Ku, Howard University; and Francesco Sorrentino, a professor of mechanical engineering at UNM.

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