Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Slime Mold Memory
"The yellow slime mold Physarum polycephalum exploring an agar plate. Courtesy of Audrey Dussutour
The slime mold Physarum polycephalum remembers where it’s been, allowing the single-cell amoeboid to more efficiently navigate its environment. The key [is] a kind of externalized spatial memory system, based on the trail of translucent slime it leaves in its wake, that allows the organism to recognize and avoid already-explored areas." Full news article @ The Scientist Magazine. Original article:
Reid et al [2012] "Slime mold uses an externalized spatial 'memory' to navigate in complex environments." PNAS. 10.1073/pnas.1215037109
The slime mold Physarum polycephalum remembers where it’s been, allowing the single-cell amoeboid to more efficiently navigate its environment. The key [is] a kind of externalized spatial memory system, based on the trail of translucent slime it leaves in its wake, that allows the organism to recognize and avoid already-explored areas." Full news article @ The Scientist Magazine. Original article:
Reid et al [2012] "Slime mold uses an externalized spatial 'memory' to navigate in complex environments." PNAS. 10.1073/pnas.1215037109
Labels: collective behavior, collective intelligence, slime mold, stigmergy
