Abstract
‘Superconnectors’ compares homogeneous networks, where all nodes have more or less the same degree, and heterogeneous networks, where hubs, or superconnectors, are present. In homogeneous networks, the degree distribution is a bell curve, similar to that of height, while in heterogeneous networks, it is a power law, similar to that of friendships and shows fat-tailed distribution. Heterogeneity is not equivalent to randomness. On the contrary, it can be the signature of a hidden order, not imposed by a top-down project, but generated by the elements of the system. Understanding the origin of this self-organized order is one of the central challenges of the science of networks.
