I'm missing the genetic links between different cultures , tribes or civilisations which should indicate the origines of basicaly all of us ..... also what would the network look like 200 years ago ? .... would it not be a single hub at some point ... which again would pouint us to the origins of civilisation and geneticaly speaking we should be able to backtrack all the way to the first man "and know " if we are missing a link ..... not guess as is the case at present .

we should be able to pinpoint the locations of previous civilisations by using the oldest known cities as

I don't mean to reduce the importance of network theory, but as far as human relation networks are concerned (the most traditional understanding of the "six degrees"), two variables have been totally shadowed here : evolution in time and technology. Some societies can be perfectly described by the network theory, but not the entire humanity, at least not yet. Let's not forget that for centuries no connections existed between some continents! So if we want to apply this mathematical model to human relations, we need to define a "level of progress", some minimum "technological" media, allowing the existence of hubs and random links. Furthermore, the relevant networks for health issues might be the casual meeting network, which can be more interconnected (public spaces, transportation...) as well as more clustered (small islands). To be rigorous one needs to explicit the equivalents of abstract mathematical properties such as connectivity, link, size, "small" number... The result of the experiment is clear : 3 packages over 20 is a low success rate, both numbers being anyway too small to be a valid statistical set.

Wanna try it out, Rob? If you e-mail me your name, city and occupation I could try to get you a package (wow, this sounds like a scam ;) ). I live in Norway, so it would be an interesting project.

i love bbc documentaries!!

Wow. Brilliant, fascinating, and relevant. I can't wait to start hearing about this in the news!

I think this theory might also help explain how mass builds up in atoms, and in solar systems and galaxies too. All of the matter collects in hub networks.

Again, brilliant.

Networks are very interesting. Never thought about connection between people in the world.

So I may be connected with a seperation of max 6 degrees with the guy/girl reading my comment now. Very interesting!

i like the idea of scientists using the networking pattern as a way to combat disease. it sounds really plausible.

This docu makes me want to study network science... or get a job at UPS ;)!

only three out of 40 make it, thats not very many!

The journey of the packages and the Scientists theory and the development with potential is amazing.This is one of the most excellent quality films going.Thanks! Yes we are all in this together.:)

I must admit I'm genuinely impressed! Network Science is truly the next great generational break through.

This is how facebook and all those other social networking sites got to be

I was surprised no mention was made of Stanley Milgram and his 1967 'small world experiment'.