Flying Math: Bees Solve Traveling Salesman Problem
Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 1:57 AM by Malcolm
Bumblebees foraging in flowers for nectar are like salesmen traveling between towns: Both seek the optimal route to minimize their travel costs. Mathematicians call this the “traveling salesman problem,” in which scientists try to calculate the shortest possible route given a theoretical arrangement of cities. Bumblebees, however, take the brute-force approach: For them, it’s simply a matter of experience, plus trial and error, as reported in this Wired article.
