Unexplainable A brainless yellow goo that does math
Nov 10, 2021
Dive into the extraordinary world of slime molds, those brainless organisms capable of navigating mazes and even controlling robots! Discover how they exhibit intelligent behaviors that challenge our understanding of decision-making and resource optimization. The discussion unveils surprising parallels between slime molds and human cognition, inviting listeners to rethink intelligence itself. Additionally, intriguing insights from experiments on single-celled organisms reveal a complex landscape of learning and adaptation in the simplest of life forms.
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Slime Mold Intelligence
- Slime molds can solve complex problems, like navigating mazes, without a brain.
- In an experiment, a slime mold recreated the Tokyo subway system by connecting oatmeal placed on a map.
Swarm Intelligence in Slime Molds
- Slime molds exhibit swarm intelligence, where collective behavior leads to complex problem-solving.
- This is similar to how ant colonies function and raises questions about individual vs. collective decisions.
Beatrice Gelber's Ciliate Learning
- In the 1950s, Beatrice Gelber conducted experiments suggesting single-celled organisms (ciliates) could learn.
- Her work was dismissed due to biases against non-nervous-system learning and replication failures.