• @LordGimp@lemm.ee
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    73 months ago

    Go find that video of a slime mold optimizing Japan’s rail system by finding oats in a maze

    • KillingTimeItself
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      13 months ago

      isn’t this similar to or equivalent in concept to letting water pathfind through a maze for example?

      • @LordGimp@lemm.ee
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        53 months ago

        No. The slime mold doesn’t just solve the maze. It figures out the optimal path and grows only where it needs to reach the goal. It’s a fascinating thing to watch in time-lapse. The “water in a maze” idea is that if it fills every passage, the only drain would be the exit.

        • KillingTimeItself
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          13 months ago

          obviously, but the flow path of the water is going to be a direct path to the end of the maze also. You just have to wait for it to fill up first lol.