Solution to Cross-Pollination

Authors: Kevin G. Der and Quinn Mahoney

Complete the two crosswords. Each BEE 'cross-pollinates' between the grids—an entry will stop at BEE in one grid and continue from the BEE in the other grid.

Those entries are:

• IVE BEEN HAD / FRISBEE GAME
• ALBEES / AMBEER
• HEART BEEPS / WATER BEETLE
• SHEBEENS / DE BEERS
• COLD BEERS / DONT BE EVIL
• GO BEEP / US BEEF
• SUGAR BEETS / BLUE BEECH
• TUBE EYE / WILDEBEEST

Each crossword grid provides a clue when folded into the origami flower above it.
Fold the left grid into a poinsettia and read counterclockwise for WEDS TECH.
Fold the right grid into a rose and read in the center for FRI NYT.

Complete the crossword in The Tech from the Wednesday before the Hunt (January 15), and fold it into a sunflower, revealing the word NUMBER around the petals.
Complete the crossword in The New York Times from the Friday the Hunt started (January 17), and fold it into a cherry blossom, revealing the word THEORY around the center.
Incidentally, the newspaper crosswords complete the bee and flower theme by including the entries INTEGRATION BEE and HONEY BEE in either grid.
The answer to this puzzle is NUMBER THEORY.

Here are all four completed crosswords (PDF), for anyone who would like to try the origami.

Note that the January 17 print edition of the New York Times contained the wrong crossword puzzle. The correct crossword appeared instead in the January 24 print edition.