Comments on: Slime mould attacks simulates Tokyo rail network

By: Shiny

Shiny — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:20:10 +0000

I wonder if Sydney’s Transport System could be improved using this slime mould model as our public transport system is terrible.

By: Slime Mold Models Tokyo Public Transit « One (1) Thing @ a Time

Slime Mold Models Tokyo Public Transit « One (1) Thing @ a Time — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:08:15 +0000

[...] Link to the project by Atsushi Tero from Hokkaido University at Discover Magazine Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

By: Michael Meadon

Michael Meadon — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:04:44 +0000

From the Economist writeup:
“Tokyo’s is not the first transport network to be modelled in this way. A study published in December by Andrew Adamatzky and Jeff Jones of the University of the West of England used oat flakes to represent Britain’s principal cities. Slime moulds modelled the motorway network of the island quite accurately, with the exception of the M6/M74 into Scotland (the creatures chose to go through Newcastle rather than past Carlisle).”
Not quite what I wanted, but cool.

By: Michael Meadon

Michael Meadon — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:10:37 +0000

Great piece and… wow.
I wonder: could this be expanded somehow to road networks, complete with traffic lights, etc? Now, that would be cool. (Or maybe I’m just biased: my country has no subways).

By: Starry Night

Starry Night — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:57:04 +0000

Interesting to note that networks, wherever we observe them, seem to optimize dispersions of matter and energy, leaving us to wonder what cosmic force may guide this pervasive dynamic.

By: Mixolydian

Mixolydian — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:23:07 +0000

Apparently, not only slime moulds but oil drops can also solve mazes. This article from New Scientist is interesting. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527443.900-what-a-mazesolving-oil-drop-tells-us-of-intelligence.html?full=true

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:42:49 +0000

I must be missing something undoubtedly due to the late hour . Since “It creates an efficient network by laying down plasmodia indiscriminately, strengthening whatever works and cutting back on whatever doesn’t.” and the researchers put down food representing the locations of major cities, then wouldn’t the mould of course look a lot like the Tokyo system? Put the oats down in a pattern resembling Chicago and it will resemble Chicago after the non-food-discovering branches die out. Efficient means maintain routes to food, discard non-food routes? I’d think efficient would be to avoid making non-food routes altogether. But then I’m not a slime mould.

By: Matt G

Matt G — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:58:36 +0000

This sounds an awful lot like information being generated by an unintelligent process. But the Intelligent Design people tell us this isn’t possible!

By: pianoguy

pianoguy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:13:28 +0000

Ankur, it looks as though most of the differences arise because the slime mold is only interested in getting things to Tokyo as quickly as possible, whereas the actual rail system also connects various interim points. Hence no far-west connecting line, but several additional feeder routes that shorten the overall trek.
Fascinating!

By: Ankur

Ankur — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:20:43 +0000

Sorry, but the mould network and actual rail network look very different to me.