Interdisciplinary approaches exploring the connection between biology and technology through slime mold simulation
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Abstract
Slime molds are fascinating organisms that, despite their name, are not fungi but amoeboid protists. Among them, the plasmodial slime mold Physarum polycephalum forms a multinucleate syncytium, known as the plasmodium, through repeated nuclear divisions without cytokinesis. In this phase, the organism appears as a viscous network-like mass containing millions of nuclei and is capable of solving complex tasks, such as navigating mazes, through self-organized behavior. Additionally, P. polycephalum is easy to culture and handle, making it an ideal model organism for studying self-organization, adaptive behavior, and biological network formation. The Smart Grids research group in the Department of Networked and Embedded Systems (NES) at the University of Klagenfurt conducts research involving slime molds. Specifically, the group investigates the potential of self-organizing applications in energy networks.
In cooperation with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Klagenfurt offers Austrian students aged 15 and older the opportunity to gain insight into university-level research through a four-week summer internship. The project “Experiments with Slime Molds” was offered for the second time in 2024 by the Smart Grids research group. This interdisciplinary project allows participants to explore the intersection of biology and computer science. The internship offers participants the chance to explore the interfaces between biology, computer science, and mathematics. It is especially aimed at students interested in biological systems, the application of mathematical models, and the development and use of software tools for simulating natural phenomena. The interns begin by cultivating slime molds in Petri dishes and then simulate their behavior using SISMO (Simulation of Slime Molds), a tool developed by the Smart Grids group.
This article explores how biology and technology were combined in a four-week internship program and provides insights into the individual experiments conducted. A central element is the report by intern Viviane Elmenreich, who shares her experiences from the 2024 IT internship at the University of Klagenfurt. The focus of the internship was on biological experiments with the slime mold P. polycephalum, including the cultivation and reactivation of sclerotia, analysis of information processing within the plasmodium, and observations of behavioral and color response to stimuli. These experiments were complemented by technical components, such as programming a Raspberry Pi to automate time lapse photography and using the simulation tool SISMO to model slime mold behavior. The results demonstrated that slime molds are capable of absorbing information from their environment, processing dyes from food sources, and finding efficient paths to nutrients, both in physical experiments and in simulated environments. Furthermore, the combination of hands-on and digital approaches enabled deeper insights into the principles of biological self-organization. The internship not only contributed to the development and refinement of the SISMO simulation tool but also played a key role in enhancing the scientific education of the participants. The students gained valuable skills in experimental biology, programming, documentation, media production, and interdisciplinary research. These experiences fostered scientific thinking and also served as a strategic investment in talent development and in strengthening the University of Klagenfurt’s position as an innovative research institution.
Keywords
Biology, Slime Molds, Simulation, Self-Organizing Systems, Interdisciplinarity, Nature-based Algorithm, Physarum polycephalum, Science Communication, IT Internship
Article Details
References
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