Human dynamics: Darwin and Einstein correspondence patterns |
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Authors: | Oliveira João Gama Barabási Albert-László |
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Institution: | Center for Complex Network Research and Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA. |
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Abstract: | In an era when letters were the main means of exchanging scientific ideas and results, Charles Darwin (1809-82) and Albert Einstein (1879-1955) were notably prolific correspondents. But did their patterns of communication differ from those associated with the instant-access e-mail of modern times? Here we show that, although the means have changed, the communication dynamics have not: Darwin's and Einstein's patterns of correspondence and today's electronic exchanges follow the same scaling laws. However, the response times of their surface-mail communication is described by a different scaling exponent from e-mail communication, providing evidence for a new class of phenomena in human dynamics. |
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