NBN Book of the Day Anthony Bonato, "Dots and Lines: Hidden Networks in Social Media, AI, and Nature" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2025)
Sep 3, 2025
Anthony Bonato, a mathematician and professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, unpacks the fascinating world of networks in his book 'Dots and Lines.' He reveals how networks shape our reality, from political landscapes to climate patterns. Discover the surprising impact of social media strategies, learn about the PageRank algorithm behind Google, and explore the interconnectedness of Hollywood through the Bacon number. Bonato also highlights practical applications of network theory in art protection and cave rescues, showcasing its relevance in everyday life.
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COVID Sparked The Book
- Anthony Bonato started writing the book during COVID-19 after noticing epidemiologists rarely discussed networks.
- He realized networks (people as dots, close proximity as lines) give a natural lens on disease spread.
Dots And Lines Are Universal
- Networks have two core ingredients: nodes (dots) and edges (lines) that measure interactions between objects.
- This simple representation appears across science, society, and literature, making networks widely applicable.
Karate Club Split Launched Community Science
- Wayne Zachary studied a karate club split and recorded how the group divided around two leaders.
- That real-world split became foundational for community-detection research in network science.
