derinthemadscientist:wencheswithcannons:kasaron:amydentata:nfdystopian:impossibletospell:gxesio:deae
derinthemadscientist:wencheswithcannons:kasaron:amydentata:nfdystopian:impossibletospell:gxesio:deaexlibris:acquaintedwithrask:thatssoscience:Slime mold was grown on an agar gel plate shaped like America and food sources were placed where America’s large cities are. The result? A possible look at how to best build public transportation. I just really like the idea of slime mold on a map of the US. It’s beautiful.I’m—holy shitI have a raging science ladyboner right now.I’d love if we could do it on a state-by-state basis.That same slime mold once affirmed that the Tokyo subway is pretty well-designed. Using slime molds as a calculator.Using slime molds as a calculator.Using slime molds as a calculator.Natural computation: it’s a thing, and it’s awesome. What is the universe but a really, really complicated computer?I love this.For my wifeThings like this always look cute but the reason they don’t tend to be used to design many transpirt systems is that the actual results are very meh. Smile mold isn’t usualy used as a calculator because it’s very shitty at calculating what’s being calculated – its needs are very different to the needs of a transport system.#my first thought is #okay but what about mountains#nationwide rail would be pretty cool thoughMountains, forests, local laws and taxes, varying construction and maintenance costs, varying weather conditions, and differing refuelling and food availability aren’t even the main issue here – even if all of that meant nothing, your big problem is that the mold and the rail system have entirely different transport priorities. The mold wants all the nutrients to be connected to the centre, with each spot taking the smallest amount of extra construction based on what is already laid down. Your rail systems want to have transport per train or carriage as even in number as possible and have minimal wait times between and on trains. It’s a completely different calculation, with no similarities beyond “the populations need to all be involved”. -- source link