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Meet your match: Using algorithms to spark collaboration between scientists

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 08:25 AM PST

Speed dating, in which potential lovers size each other up in brief 10 minute encounters before moving on to the next person, can be an awkward and time-wasting affair. Finding the perfect research partnership is often just as tough. Speed dating-style techniques are increasingly used at academics conferences, but can be equally frustrating -- with busy academics being pushed into too many pointless encounters. But now a group of scientists have constructed a system that could revolutionize conference speed dating -- by treating scientists like genes.