The slime mold Physarum polycephalum, a unicellular mixomyceat | Science in telegram

The slime mold Physarum polycephalum, a unicellular mixomyceate typically found on decaying wood, displays a form of species-specific genius. Renowned for its remarkable ability, colonies of this organism can find the shortest path between two points in a maze, a skill reminiscent of rats known for their superior maze-navigation abilities compared to humans. However, the slime mold's talent diverges in its capacity to form optimal distribution networks and solve complex computational problems related to spatial organization. Despite its unicellular nature, which might imply limited capabilities, its species-specific genius has been employed in various fields, from logistic models to modeling the large-scale structure of the cosmic web of the universe.
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