The growth patterns of amoebae as they spread out to connect to food sources bears a striking resemblance to the map of a rail system. Some say the amoeba could inform urban planners and designers.
"[A] species of gelatinous amoeba could help urban planners design better road systems to reduce traffic congestion, a new study found.
A team of researchers studied the slime mold species Physarum polycephalum and found that as it grows it connects itself to scattered food crumbs in a design that's nearly identical to Tokyo's rail system."
The growth patterns are formed in the most efficient possible way, maximizing access to nutrients while expending the least amount of energy. The scientists leading this experiment at Hokkaido University in Japan arranged specks of food in the amoebae's dish to match the layout of the train system around Tokyo.
"They even added areas of bright light (which slime mold tends to avoid) to correspond to mountains or other geologic features that the trains would have to steer around", according to this article from MSNBC.
Thanks to David B. Bookless, AICP
Read the full story: Better transit design through ... slime mold?
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City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello