Physarum Slime Mold

Emergent network formation via pheromone-guided agents — click to add food sources

SIMULATION

Agents 2000

Sensor angle 30°

Sensor dist 9

Trail decay 0.96

Speed 1.5

Click on canvas to place food sources. Agents are attracted to food and each other's trails.

FOOD SOURCES

None placed

About: Physarum polycephalum, the "many-headed slime mold," is a single-celled organism that forms optimized transport networks between food sources. Each agent follows three sensors: forward-left, forward, and forward-right — steering toward highest trail concentration. Depositing pheromone where they travel and following gradient creates emergent network structure. Toshiyuki Nakagaki (2000, Nature) showed Physarum grown between oat flakes arranged as Japanese cities recreated a near-optimal version of the Tokyo rail network. This system has no central controller — pure emergent self-organization.