Forget AI training data. This startup learned from slime mold

In a classic experiment more than a decade ago, researchers in Japan gave a slime mold—a single-celled organism known for forming efficient networks—a “map” of the cities around Tokyo. They represented each municipality with an oat flake, the organism’s favorite food, and watched as it created a network that looked eerily similar to the Japanese rail system. The takeaway was clear: Slime mold is surprisingly good at creating complex and efficient paths.