Restoring Network Evolution from Static Structure

Abstract

The dynamical evolution of complex networks underpins the structure-function relationships in natural and artificial systems. Yet, restoring a network's formation from a single static snapshot remains challenging. Here, we present a transferable machine learning framework that infers network evolutionary trajectories solely from present topology. By integrating graph neural networks with transformers, our approach unlocks a latent temporal dimension directly from the static topology. Evaluated across diverse domains, the framework achieves high transfer accuracy of up to 95.3%, demonstrating its robustness and transferability. Applied to the Drosophila brain connectome, it restores the formation times of over 2.6 million neural connections, revealing that early-forming links support essential behaviors such as mating and foraging, whereas later-forming connections underpin complex sensory and social functions. These results demonstrate that a substantial fraction of evolutionary information is encoded within static network architecture, offering a powerful, general tool for elucidating the hidden temporal dynamics of complex systems.