Made up of just a single cell and lacking any brain, or even any neurons and connections for that matter, you wouldn’t think much of the humble slime mold. But these creatures seem to display quite ...

Share on Facebook (opens in a new window) Share on X (opens in a new window) Share on Reddit (opens in a new window) Share on Hacker News (opens in a new window) Share on Flipboard (opens in a new ...

A brainless slime mold known as Physarum polycephalum uses its body to sense mechanical cues in its environment. Then, in a process similar to what we consider 'thinking', they decide on the best ...

Recent studies have increasingly challenged the traditional view that cognitive processes are exclusively the domain of organisms with nervous systems. Research into slime molds and other unicellular ...

Dictyostelium discoideum is a widely studied social amoeba that exhibits a remarkable transition from solitary life to a coordinated multicellular existence. Under conditions of nutrient deprivation, ...

Even without a brain, a slime mold can essentially remember where it's been, helping it navigate past complex obstacles, much like modern robots, researchers say. These findings reveal how ancient ...

In this new segment, we’ll feature one creature a month, and try to convince you that it’s worthy of the coveted Charismatic Creature title. By “creature” we mean almost anything—animals, viruses, ...

Not a day goes by that I do not think of the wonder and almost spiritual brilliance of mushrooms and other fungi, because I am an ant and an invasive fungus has taken control of my brain. For the rest ...

This article by Max G. Levy was originally published on Massive Science. The story is a part of Breakthrough, a short film anthology from Science Friday and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) that ...