On Creativity of Slime Mould

TL;DR

This paper explores the creative potential of slime mould Physarum polycephalum by analyzing its adaptive behaviors and mapping them onto a cognitive control versus schizotypy spectrum to interpret its activity as a form of biological creativity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework for understanding slime mould behavior as a manifestation of creativity through cognitive spectrum mapping.

Findings

Slime mould adapts its network to environmental changes.

It can solve computational geometry, image processing, and logical tasks.

Behavioral patterns can be mapped onto a cognitive control versus schizotypy spectrum.

Abstract

Slime mould Physarum polycephalum is large single cell with intriguingly smart behaviour. The slime mould shows outstanding abilities to adapt its protoplasmic network to varying environmental conditions. The slime mould can solve tasks of computational geometry, image processing, logics and arithmetics when data are represented by configurations of attractants and repellents. We attempt to map behavioural patterns of slime onto the cognitive control versus schizotypy spectrum phase space and thus interpret slime mould's activity in terms of creativity.