Some 15 years after the bee research, a computer scientist named Sunil Nakrani was searching for an algorithm that would make switching internet traffic between servers more efficient.

In 2016, the bee-inspired algorithm garnered Tovey and his collaborators a Golden Goose Award, which commends curiosity-driven research as it blossoms to palpably benefit society.

Honey bees inspire crime-fighting algorithm The research could help police target the bad actors most important to a crime network's functionality and efficiency.