The edit distance and the algorithms to solve it have been of great use in my research work in neuroscience. The places where I can apply them are as surprising

The edit distance and the algorithms to solve it have been of great use in my research work in neuroscience. The places where I can apply them are as surprising as 3D mesh reconstruction from a stack of outlines ( http://www.blender.org/community/blender-conference/blender-conference-2006/proceedings/albert-cardona/ http://www.blender.org/community/blender-conference/blender-... ), to neuronal recognition (I'm currently finishing a paper on that; see some images here: http://albert.rierol.net/doodle_programming.html#11 http://albert.rierol.net/doodle_programming.html#11 ). I know of other labs using edit distance to compare people's timelines (to estimate cost of shifting from one lifestyle to another). And the most widely use application of edit distances is in the comparison of any DNA/RNA/protein sequence for similarity, both for identification purposes and for the study of their evolution.