The slime mold Physarum polycephalum consists of a single biological cell. Because of his ingenious ability to adapt his tubular network to a changing environment, he has been called "intelligent".

What a brainless slime mold can teach us about decision-making, intellectual curiosity, and thriving in an uncertain world.

The slime mold Physarum polycephalum develops a network of interconnected tubes as it explores the environment for food. An algorithm inspired by its growth patterns enabled astronomers to see the ...

While lacking anything resembling a brain, the mold Physarum polycephalum navigates toward food sources without revisiting paths it’s already taken. In other words, the mold resembles some form ...

At Hampshire College, students and faculty use the amoeba Physarum polycephalum—both a “visiting scholar” and a model organism—to examine human societal and political quandaries. A form of spatial ...

In a landmark experiment from 2010, Atsushi Tero and colleagues at Hokkaido University explored how the slime mold Physarum polycephalum could be used to model efficient transportation networks.