Zebra mussels,a ship-borne invasive species, are such a problem in American waters that they cost the U.
S. power industry alone $3.1 billion in economic losses in 1993-1999, and mainly by blocking pipes that deliver water to cooling plants. Researchers looking for a way to predict where they might end up next,so that preventive measures can be taken, beget relied on network science, or a way to identify patterns and meaningful connections in fields ranging from invasive species to international terrorism and social networks to infectious diseases.
Source: phys.org