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Map: Science’s Family Tree

discovermagazine.com — The bigger a node is, the more papers it contains. Heavily cited papers appear in more than one node. Black lines connect any nodes that contain the same papers; the darker a link is, the more papers the connected nodes have in common. These links create the structure of the map and tend to pull similar scientific disciplines closer to one another.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 7, 2007

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  • LarianLeQuella, on 10/11/2007, -0/+22That is actually pretty darn cool. Wish I could really zoom in on the picture and look at the words though.
  • manicleek, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19You just made a comment on a socially driven website hosted on a computer.
  • nostaw, on 10/11/2007, -0/+16I found the originals. Warning pdf links and very large files (60MB)

    http://wbpaley.com/images/scienceMapFullColorPrint1.pdf
    http://wbpaley.com/images/scienceMapFullColorPrint2.pdf


  • nostaw, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8More info and some bigger pics, though of a different variant (click to enlarge)
    http://wbpaley.com/brad/mapOfScience/index.html

    Another official website
    http://mapofscience.com/
  • joot2112, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6... interesting, but I doubt the map's accuracy. I work in neuro-radiology, probably falling under "Brain Research". A ton of physics and chemistry is involved. Where would neuro-radiology be without the physics of MRI or research of chemical ligands? On the map, a line connects to math, but not these other obvious, heavily-related disciplines. Also, fields like Central Nervous System and Virology overlap greatly with Chemistry, yet the authors portray Chemistry as isolated.

    I'm also irritated that the article implies that citation rate defines a discipline's value. The article claims the map "can be used to determine which areas of science are most closely connected to one another, as well as which are the most—and least—intellectually vital and productive. Advances in mathematics are few. Medicine, on the other hand, dominates the lower half of the map." Math may have fewer advances, but when they occur, the impact can be profound. In addition, ALL sciences use math, but authors do not look up and cite the original discoverers of the math and statistics they apply on a daily basis.
  • mad05963, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6good to see social sciences were not forgotten and have a role in the mesh.
  • M724, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4What's in the middle? I think someone out there needs to research the one central point that connects all of them.
  • umbrae, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Anyone else think it kinda looks like the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
  • shadus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6You know the fact that the pic looks like something alive and able to swim through the ocean is kinda ironic and somehow appropriate.
  • Sawta, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Seemed like a neat idea...I was imaging a much larger picture, but ah well.

    For some reason it feels vaguely similar to the maps and such that xkcd.com have been doing.
  • inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4quote: "good to see social sciences were not forgotten and have a role in the mesh."

    That could be a blessing or a curse, really. I mean, how do you calculate or quantify emotions or the irrational behavior of people -- especially your average person that watches television shows all the time instead of living up to their true human potential?

    I guess you gotta start somewhere, somehow though.
  • RBotros, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3it's that space in the middle ..
  • spelunker, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3FTA:

    "5 The Friendster Element

    On the map, computer science is linked more closely to social sciences like psychology and sociology than to applied physics. 'If you trust it for a minute, it does make intuitive sense,' Paley says. Social networks like Friendster depend heavily on software programs, while social scientists frequently rely on computers for statistical analysis."
  • Tyrsson, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Where are the biochemistry and molecular biology nodes?
  • sonicprogress, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I was hoping this would provide me with the holy grail of mindmaps - but instead I find an image without any links to papers or information. It could be an artists impression for all I know.

    Useless.
  • adb44, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3The problem is that the data processing techniques you use to make something like this can produce very different results from very minor changes. Essentially the raw data is very, very high dimensional, which destroys almost every aspect of intuitive geometry. You can slice a picture in 1000 dimensions into two dimensions and have it look almost however you want. The rules for clustering are similarly touchy and the results unintuitive when dealing with high dimensional data.

    It's a cool picture and conforms a lot to what we expect, but that could very well be because we expect it to look like that.
  • warmonger48, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2kib: Biochemistry is chemical processes involved in producing life and org. chem is basically hydrocarbons.

    They are difference, I excelled at Biochem, but sucked at org. chem....
  • koretico, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2looks like me just before my very first moment
  • rcook18, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It might be interesting to see an animation of these relationships over time. Perhaps you would find your link to philosophy in the animation.
  • tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Yeah, most people seem to think organic == life, and thus that organic chem and biochem are very similar, if not the same.
  • infinium, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1biochem is there. Bottom left inner ring.
  • DinkyDink, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Where is philosophy? All the sciences sprang from Philosophy.
  • MacEnvy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1The thing that connects them all is the scientific method. That's really all that is required for something to be called a science.

    That's also why many people don't consider "Political Science" an actual science ... Chris Matthews said that very thing tonight on Hardball, coincidentally.
  • kibbled, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1From the article:

    4 No Science Is an Island
    …except maybe organic chemistry. One might assume that this bane of premed students is closely tied to medicine, but the map shows that the route from organic chemistry to health care requires more than one pit stop through fields like analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, biology, and even earth sciences. In fact, all of chemistry is a bit of an inside job. The links between the nodes of different chemistry disciplines are darker than other links because the disciplines tend to contain the same papers.

    I am assuming Biochemistry and organic chemistry are the same thing.
  • spootmonkey, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Yay Comp Sci...glad to see it up there
  • warmonger48, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2I've got 2/5'ths covered. Biology and Computer Science. Yeah ME.
  • nettsight, on 11/12/2008, -0/+0I remember they where compiling together the
    logistics for the grand unified theory (GUT) with
    a similar method. It's said that this should be
    solved by 2040 depending on the Higgs particle
    and similar results from CERN.
    netsight: http://netsight.pbwiki.com/
  • crashbang, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Hey whats up Organic chemistry? You all over on the other side of the room....What? Are you like too good for us social science types? We shall have a DDR-off to prove who has the more important discipline....GO!!!
  • InferiorWang, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2There are many subjects I can pursue with my computer. That doesn't mean the computer is related to the subject.
  • PATSCRU, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2now you're getting greedy....
  • rabatjoie, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2yes, but well, I had hoped that with the whole discussion going on about the "two cultures", they would have at least distinguished literature, philosophy, sociology, etc. these are certainly not the "same thing" to be summarized under "social sciences".
  • egroeggnik, on 10/11/2007, -6/+4The middle isn't the Borg, It's religion and a Creator.

    FSM FTW!
  • bungula, on 10/11/2007, -7/+4What exactly is the link between social sciences and computer science?
  • aDJsavedmylife, on 10/11/2007, -9/+5Shame they forgot the Bible...The most scientific book of all time..no wait.
  • cr1t, on 10/11/2007, -6/+1Researching what lies in the middle, would lead to what is called the Borg.
  • ButterBuddha, on 10/11/2007, -8/+3looks like a huge nerd magnet....

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