Slimy, but smart.

PositionSCIENCE - Slime mold - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Slime mold may took like just a blob, but it's a smart one. Researchers in Japan have found that the fungus-like organism [left] can design a network as efficient as one that took humans years to develop: the Tokyo rail system. As slime mold feeds on bacteria found on decaying plant material, it spreads out and builds tubular connections between food sources. Scientists laid 36 bits of food in a pattern corresponding to cities in the Tokyo area and placed a slime mold...

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