Symbolic Foundation Regressor on Complex Networks
This work provides a foundational solution for enhancing interpretability in scientific discovery by extending symbolic regression to complex networks, benefiting researchers in fields like physics and epidemiology.
The authors tackled the problem of discovering interpretable scientific laws from complex data with interacting variables by introducing a pre-trained symbolic foundation regressor. The model achieved a threefold improvement in equation inference efficiency compared to baselines while maintaining accurate predictions across domains like physics, biochemistry, ecology, and epidemiology.
In science, we are interested not only in forecasting but also in understanding how predictions are made, specifically what the interpretable underlying model looks like. Data-driven machine learning technology can significantly streamline the complex and time-consuming traditional manual process of discovering scientific laws, helping us gain insights into fundamental issues in modern science. In this work, we introduce a pre-trained symbolic foundation regressor that can effectively compress complex data with numerous interacting variables while producing interpretable physical representations. Our model has been rigorously tested on non-network symbolic regression, symbolic regression on complex networks, and the inference of network dynamics across various domains, including physics, biochemistry, ecology, and epidemiology. The results indicate a remarkable improvement in equation inference efficiency, being three times more effective than baseline approaches while maintaining accurate predictions. Furthermore, we apply our model to uncover more intuitive laws of interaction transmission from global epidemic outbreak data, achieving optimal data fitting. This model extends the application boundary of pre-trained symbolic regression models to complex networks, and we believe it provides a foundational solution for revealing the hidden mechanisms behind changes in complex phenomena, enhancing interpretability, and inspiring further scientific discoveries.