Researchers find a single-cell fabric mold without a nervous system that recalls food locations

Remembering the events of the past enables us to make smart decisions about the future. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have identified the basis for the formation of memories in the slim mold physarum polycephalum, despite the lack of a nervous system.

The ability to store and retrieve information gives an organism an obvious advantage when searching for food or avoiding harmful environments, and is traditionally linked to organisms that have a nervous system. Mirna Kramar (MPIDS) and Prof. A new study, written by Karen Alim (TUM and MPIDS), challenges this view by highlighting the amazing abilities of a highly dynamic, single-celled organism to store and retrieve information about its environment.

Past window

Slime mold Phyzaram polycephalum has puzzled researchers for decades. Existing at the crossroads between the kingdom of animals, plants and fungi, this unique organism gives an understanding of the history of the early evolution of eukaryotes. Its body is a large single cell composed of interconnected tubes that form a complex network. This single amoeba-like cell can grow up to several centimeters or even meters in length, representing the largest cell on Earth. Guinness Book of World Records.

The amazing abilities of textile molds to solve complex problems such as finding a short cut through a route have fascinated the research community and raised questions about decision-making at basic levels of life. Of particular interest is Phisarum’s decision-making ability, as its tubular network constantly reorganizes – while growing and disinfecting its tubes, when there is a complete lack of an organizing center. Researchers have found that organisms direct food memories into a network-like body architecture and use the information stored when making future decisions.

Decisions are guided by memories

“It is very exciting when the project develops with a simple experimental observation,” says TUM Professor of Biological Physics and Morphogenesis Group at MPIDS and TUM Professor of Biological Jetal Networks. A distinct impression of the food source was seen on the image of the gar and the thin tubes. Given the highly dynamic network reconstruction of P. Polysefalm, the intensity of this impression stimulates the idea that the network architecture can function on its own. The mechanism behind the impression formation needed to be explained. “

To find out what is going on, researchers combine microscopic observations of adaptation of a network of tubes with theoretical modeling. Encounters with food begin the chemical release that travels from the place where the food is found in the organism and softens the tubes in the network, thereby regenerating the migration of the whole organism towards its food.

“Gradual Mir softening is where the current imprint of previous food sources comes into play and where information is stored and retrieved,” said Mirina Kramer, the study’s first author. “Past food events, especially in the arrangement of thick and thin tubes in the network, are embedded in the hierarchy of tube diameters. For the softer chemical that is now transported, the thick tubes in the network act as highways in the traffic network, activating faster. Previous confrontations in network architecture take into account decisions about the future direction of migration. “

Universal principles inspire design

The authors highlight that Fizaram’s ability to construct memories is interesting given the simplicity of this live network. “It is noteworthy that organisms rely on such a simple mechanism and yet control it so well. These results represent an important part of the puzzle towards understanding the behavior of this ancient organism and at the same time universal. Principles of underlying behavior. We are smart. We imagine the potential applications of our findings in creating materials and creating soft robots that explore complex environments, ”concludes Karen Alim.