Rooting out
rumors, epidemics, and crime – with math
A team of scientists
has developed an algorithm that can identify the source of an epidemic or
information circulating within a network, a method that could also be used to
help with criminal investigations.
Investigators
are well aware of how difficult it is to trace an unlawful act to its source.
The job was arguably easier with old, Mafia-style criminal organizations, as
their hierarchical structures more or less resembled predictable family trees.