A Slime Mold's Network Formation (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

A Slime Mold's Network Formation

Caption

This is the network formation in Physarum polycephalum. (A) At t =0, a small plasmodium of Physarum was placed at the location of Tokyo in an experimental arena bounded by the Pacific coastline (white border) and supplemented with additional food sources at each of the major cities in the region (white dots). (B to F) The plasmodium grew out from the initial food source with a contiguous margin and progressively colonized each of the food sources. Behind the growing margin, the spreading mycelium resolved into a network of tubes interconnecting the food sources.

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Image courtesy of <i>Science</i>/AAAS

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