# life: even a slime mold takes smart decisions about the future (Physarum polycephalum)

<< The slime mold Physarum polycephalum has been puzzling researchers for many decades. Existing at the crossroads between the kingdoms of animals, plants and fungi, this unique organism provides insight into the early evolutionary history of eukaryotes. Its body is a giant single cell made up of interconnected tubes that form intricate networks. This single amoeba-like cell may stretch several centimeters or even meters, featuring as the largest cell on earth in the Guinness Book of World Records. >>

<< The striking abilities of the slime mold to solve complex problems such as finding the shortest path through a maze earned it the attribute "intelligent," intrigued the research community and kindled questions about decision making on the most basic levels of life. >> 

<<  The decision-making ability of Physarum is especially fascinating given that its tubular network constantly undergoes fast reorganization—growing and disintegrating its tubes—while completely lacking an organizing center. The researchers discovered that the organism weaves memories of food encounters directly into the architecture of the network-like body and uses the stored information when making future decisions. >>

Researchers find a single-celled slime mold with no nervous system that remembers food locations. Max Planck Society. Feb 23, 2021.  

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-single-celled-slime-mold-nervous-food.html

Mirna Kramar, Karen Alim. Encoding memory in tube diameter hierarchy of living flow network. PNAS. 118 (10).  e2007815118. doi: 10.1073/ pnas.2007815118

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/10/e2007815118