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Sci. Signal., 18 January 2011
Vol. 4, Issue 156, p. ec21
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.4156ec21]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Computational Biology Computer Scientists Learn from Flies

L. Bryan Ray

Science, Science Signaling, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Designing distributed networks of computers that work together to solve a problem without any single processor receiving all of the inputs or observing all of the outputs represents a difficult problem. Afek et al. noted the similarity of this problem to the process of patterning of sensory bristles on the fruit fly. By studying the developmental process in the fly and modeling its mechanism, the authors derived an algorithm that works efficiently to solve the computer science problem of identifying what is known as a "maximal independent set" that may prove useful in the design of wireless networks.

Y. Afek, N. Alon, O. Barad, E. Hornstein, N. Barkai, Z. Bar-Joseph, A biological solution to a fundamental distributed computing problem. Science 331, 183–185 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: L. B. Ray, Computer Scientists Learn from Flies. Sci. Signal. 4, ec21 (2011).

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