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From reaction-diffusion to Physarum computing

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Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that computation of spanning trees and implementation of general purpose storage-modification machines can be executed by a vegetative state of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum. We advance theory and practice of reaction-diffusion computing by studying a biological model of reaction-diffusion encapsulated in a membrane.

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Notes

  1. Thanks to Dr. Soichiro Tsuda for providing me with P. polycephalum culture.

  2. http://www.supercook.co.uk.

  3. Recently we have demonstrated in chemical and biological laboratory experiments that plasmodoium of Physarun polycephalum behaves almost exactly the same, apart of leaving a ‘trace’, as excitation patterns in sub-excitable Belousov–Zhabotinsky medium, see details in Adamatzky et al. (2009). Thus plasmodium is also proved to be capable for collision-based universal computation (Adamatzky 2003).

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Dr. Christof Teuscher (Los Alamos Labs, US) for editing the manuscript. I am grateful to Dr. Soichiro Tsuda (Southmapton Univ, UK) for providing me with the culture of Physarum polycephalum and subsequent fruitful discussions.

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  1. University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK

    Andrew Adamatzky

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Adamatzky, A. From reaction-diffusion to Physarum computing. Nat Comput 8, 431–447 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-009-9120-5

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