Physarum polycephalum

Physarum polycephalum is a remarkable type of slime mold that behaves like a living, adaptive network. It exists as a single, multinucleate cell with many interconnected strands, which it uses to explore its environment and find food. When searching for nutrients, it extends its network to reach multiple food sources efficiently, similar to a transportation system. Despite being a simple organism without a nervous system, it demonstrates impressive problem-solving skills, such as optimizing paths and responding to environmental changes. Its unique behavior offers insights into biological computation and decentralized decision-making.