Geo-replicated storage systems are at the core of current Internet services. Unfortunately, there exists a fundamental tension between consistency and performance for offering scalable geo-replication. Weakening consistency semantics leads to less coordination and consequently a good user experience, but it may introduce anomalies such as state divergence and invariant violation. In contrast, m...

C RE D IT :M A RC O U LI A N A T he honey bee society was famously described as “The Feminine Monarchy” by the cleric Charles Butler in 1634. Honey bees and their relatives—including all hymenopteran societies—qualify for this label because their colonies are headed by one or a small number of fertile queens. These queens produce a large number of sterile or nearly sterile daughter workers and,...