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Modeling and Simulation: How Everything Seems to Form and Evolve

Abstract

Matter and mind can both be viewed as containing packets of energy and information that, in some sense, hide their internal elements from the outside, much like a computer science abstraction or scientific models. As the result of experiment or simulations, these abstractions can be broken down deductively into smaller abstractions or united inductively to form bigger ones. Lately, there have been reports implying that a brain cell's structure can be viewed as similar to that of the universe's. A study published in Nature's Scientific Reports argued that the resemblance between the two could mean that the universe and the brain could have grown in similar ways. A mechanism may be in place in the fabric of the cosmos that guides the growth of systems large and small, from the electrical firing between brain cells and growth of social and computer networks to the expansion of galaxies. It's fascinating to imagine what this universal mechanism might be. Based on some general concepts from computing, cognitive, and natural sciences, this article proposes that the similarities may arise from modeling and simulation, a viewpoint that could have significant impact on computational science education.