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Brief Communications
Nature 407, 470 (28 September 2000) | doi:10.1038/35035159
Open Innovation Challenges
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Protect Enzyme from In Planta Degradation
A proposal for stable expression of an enzyme in corn seed is desired.
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Fast Growth of Transformed Soybean Shoots
A method for accelerating growth of soybean shoots is desired.
- More Challenges
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Research Fellows in Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology
- The University of Nottingham
- Nottingham, UK
Faculty Position in Biochemistry
- University of Tuebingen
- Tuebingen 72076 Germany
Intelligence: Maze-solving by an amoeboid organism
Toshiyuki Nakagaki1,2, Hiroyasu Yamada1,2,3 & Ágota Tóth4
Abstract
The plasmodium of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a large amoeba-like cell consisting of a dendritic network of tube-like structures (pseudopodia). It changes its shape as it crawls over a plain agar gel and, if food is placed at two different points, it will put out pseudopodia that connect the two food sources. Here we show that this simple organism has the ability to find the minimum-length solution between two points in a labyrinth.
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