Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #32271: Slime Mold in Space: Navigating Mazes Without Gravity

Slime molds are simple organisms with no brains, yet they can solve complex problems like navigating a maze. At Chandra Kumala School in Indonesia, students wondered: could slime molds still find their way through a 3D maze without gravity’s help? Their ISS experiment tested this by sending these fascinating creatures into orbit.

In Earth's gravity, slime molds use chemical gradients to move toward food. In space, without weight pulling them down, do they change strategies? Can they still solve puzzles by expanding in the right direction?

The experiment not only offered insights into biological adaptability and cognition but also exposed students to the intersection of biology, physics, and artificial intelligence. Observing slime mold behavior in space could even inform future algorithms in robotics and navigation.

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