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Foraging Behaviors and Potential Computational Ability of Problem-Solving in an Amoeba

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Natural Computing

Part of the book series: Proceedings in Information and Communications Technology ((PICT,volume 2))

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Abstract

We study cell behaviors in the complex situations: multiple locations of food were simultaneously given. An amoeba-like organism of true slime mold gathered at the multiple food locations while body shape made of tubular network was totally changed. Then only a few tubes connected all of food locations through a network shape. By taking the network shape of body, the plasmodium could meet its own physiological requirements: as fast absorption of nutrient as possible and sufficient circulation of chemical signals and nutrients through a whole body. Optimality of network shape was evaluated in relation to a combinatorial optimization problem. Here we reviewed the potential computational ability of problem-solving in the amoeba, which was much higher than we’d though. The main message of this article is that we had better to change our stupid opinion that an amoeba is stupid.

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Nakagaki, T. (2010). Foraging Behaviors and Potential Computational Ability of Problem-Solving in an Amoeba. In: Peper, F., Umeo, H., Matsui, N., Isokawa, T. (eds) Natural Computing. Proceedings in Information and Communications Technology, vol 2. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53868-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53868-4_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-53867-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-53868-4

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