Slimy Simulation
Origin information
Updated 1/21/2010 by Clara Moskowitz
Link to source » msnbc.msn.com
Made aware of by Twitter user » @pauldavidwaltz (RT)
QUOTE
Since the best city planners around the world have not been able to end traffic jams, scientists are looking to a new group of experts: slime mold [...] a funguslike, single-celled animal that can grow in a network of linked veins, spreading over a surface like a web.
The scientists let the mold organize itself and spread out around these nutrients, and found that it built a pattern very similar to the real-world train system connecting those cities around Tokyo. And in some ways, the amoeba solution was more efficient. What’s more, the slime mold built its network without a control center that could oversee and direct the whole enterprise; rather, it reinforced routes that were working and eliminated redundant channels, constantly adapting and adjusting for maximum efficiency.
CORRESPONDING LINKS
Article published via » treehugger.com
Referring to » popsci.com (including videos, further videos are to be found via YouTube)
SCIENTIFIC PAPER
“Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design” available via » sciencemag.org
Science 22 January 2010: Vol. 327. no. 5964, pp. 439 – 442 | DOI: 10.1126/science.1177894
What I do find remarkable here is the integrated fault tolerance. Natural systems are often designed that way. It might not be “Design for Murphy”, even the most adaptable system has a point where it tilts, but they are still surprisingly sustainable.
One reason seems to be that instead of going for flawlessness errors are encompassed, accepted as something that is prone to happen. And therefore taken into account. Something to think about way more when it comes to human applications IMHO.