Life evolved organisms to adapt dynamically to their environment and autonomously exhibit behaviors. Although complex behaviors in organisms are typically associated with the capability of neurons to process information, the unicellular organism Physarum polycephalum disabuses us by solving complex tasks despite being just a single although gigantic cell shaped into a mesmerizing tubular network. In Physarum, smart behaviors arise as network tubes grow or shrink due to the mechanochemical coupling of contractile tubes, fluid flows, and transport across the network. Here, from a physicist's perspective, we introduce the biology and active chemomechanics of this living matter network. We review Physarum's global response in migration and dynamic state to its environment before revisiting its network architecture and flow and transport patterns. Finally, we summarize recent studies on storing and processing information to mount well-informed behaviors.

中文翻译：

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多头绒泡菌：智能网络适应


生命进化的有机体能够动态适应环境并自主地表现出行为。尽管生物体中的复杂行为通常与神经元处理信息的能力相关，但单细胞生物多头绒泡菌通过解决复杂的任务来让我们摆脱困境，尽管它只是一个巨大的单个细胞，形成了令人着迷的管状网络。在绒泡菌中，由于收缩管、流体流动和网络传输的机械化学耦合，网络管会增长或收缩，从而产生智能行为。在这里，我们从物理学家的角度介绍了这个生命物质网络的生物学和活性化学力学。在重新审视其网络架构以及流量和传输模式之前，我们回顾了绒泡菌对其环境的迁移和动态状态的全球响应。最后，我们总结了最近关于存储和处理信息以采取明智行为的研究。