A study into electronic communication records has given credence to the theory that any two people on the planet have only “six degrees of separation” between them – though researchers suggest the actual number may be closer to seven.Microsoft researchers Eric Horvitz and Jure Leskovec, who analysed 30 billion electronic conversations among 180 million people from around the world, found an average 6.6 degrees of separation between any two people.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24123151-5013404,00.htmlStudy revives six degrees theory
A US study of instant messaging suggests the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone may be right – though seven seems more accurate.Microsoft researchers studied the addresses of 30bn instant messages sent during a single month in 2006.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7539329.stm