Slime mold solves maze in one pass, assisted by gradient of chemo-attractants

IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience
Andrew I Adamatzky

Abstract

Plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is a large cell, visible by unaided eye, which exhibits sophisticated patterns of foraging behaviour. The plasmodium's behaviour is well interpreted in terms of computation, where data are spatially extended configurations of nutrients and obstacles, and results of computation are networks of protoplasmic tubes formed by the plasmodium. In laboratory experiments and numerical simulation we show that if plasmodium of P. polycephalum is inoculated in a maze's peripheral channel and an oat flake (source of attractants) in a the maze's central chamber then the plasmodium grows toward target oat flake and connects the flake with the site of original inoculation with a pronounced protoplasmic tube. The protoplasmic tube represents a path in the maze. The plasmodium solves maze in one pass because it is assisted by a gradient of chemo-attractants propagating from the target oat flake.

References

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Citations

Jul 10, 2013·Artificial Life·Andrew Adamatzky
Jun 25, 2014·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Kohta SuzunoIstván Lagzi
Dec 2, 2014·IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics·Michail-Antisthenis I TsompanasAndrew I Adamatzky
Sep 22, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Paco Calvo, František Baluška
Jun 25, 2014·TheScientificWorldJournal·Hongping WangYong Deng
Jun 15, 2014·Bio Systems·Andrew Adamatzky
Jun 2, 2016·Nature Communications·Filippo CarusoRoberto Osellame
Apr 23, 2019·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Andrew Adamatzky
Jan 25, 2020·Soft Matter·Andrew AdamatzkyKonrad Szaciłowski
Oct 30, 2019·Scientific Reports·Fernando Patino-RamirezAudrey Dussutour
Jan 12, 2013·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Chris R Reid, Madeleine Beekman

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