Japan is a country that no doubt of sophistication in matters of perkeretaan. Call it the name of the shinkansen, the world's fastest train, which just by flashing it, the train sped like lightning. The train has become the main means of transportation in Japan. All kinds of trains in Japan, from the local train that stops every 2 minutes, semi-express trains, rapid express, super express, everything complete. And the whole system in Japan this perkeretaan provide timely service superb, perfect speed, and security plans.

Especially in Tokyo, every day millions of people to be transported from one spot to another spot, with the quickest time and rigorous (because of "late" in the dictionary of life in Japan is a major sin, timeliness is always self esteem upheld). Of course, all the electric rail system that is designed in such a way that provides transportation service which is very effective and efficient. Route or railway network in Japan also must be made as perfect as possible.

Tokyo, capital of Japan is very densely populated and congested rail routes also train it, it could create confusion researchers determine how the railway route was efficient and the closest that connects Tokyo to other cities. And then mushrooms lendirlah who saved their confusion.


Amur mucus capable of forming tissues that connect the nearest route one spot foods with other food spot. The penelitipun use it! Toshiyuki Nakagaki and his team of scientists is designing a map of Tokyo in such a way into the plate medium of the fungus Physarum polycephalum, then likens mushroom food spots as important cities which must be connected with railway lines, spot the beginning of the fungus is described as its central Tokyo. Then within 26 hours, saw the work of the fungus that connects important cities with Tokyo with tendril tendril-mushrooms. Routes generated fungi were evaluated by researchers, and proved to be a rail route is the most effective and efficient than the route determination using computational or mathematical calculation that if realized would increase construction costs.

So indirectly, the Tokyo resident who became users of the train lines, office workers who each day huddled in the Tokyo subway, their mothers, school children, to the driver, train drivers and everyone who made it to the destination quickly and on time was indebted to a slime mold. The fungus had never thought we would be helping to build a civilization of Tokyo. Slime molds are never popular in addition to their duties, which we know only as decomposers, rotting leaves in moist places.

That's how attractive the biological sciences that is able to inspire the design of advanced construction of the railway route in the world. It is very unfortunate if we only study the biology, the science of biodiversity was limited to memorizing the names of the species without us trying to figure out, what exactly is behind the creation of living things that, what exactly can they do to human beings, what they can create to improve the quality of human life. Innovation and imagination in learning, will always make us caught up in curiosity to finally spur us constantly to learn.

Before the invention of the railway routes by this fungus, maybe people will consider this research is something that really does not matter and asked "Why try to analyze how the fungus get its food? Kayak less work wrote, Are we willing to keep the slime molds? ". However, a researcher will remain firm with his ideas, and always believe that whatever they learn, whatever they are looking for, and whatever they study, it would be very meaningful for the future. Proved by studying the patterns of the slime molds look for food, dihasilkanlah railroad route was efisiien in the world.

Reference:

"Ride the Slime Mold Express!", By Tim Wogan, ScienceNOW Daily News.2010.

"Slime Mold Grows Network Just Like Tokyo Rail System", By Laura Sanders, Science News. 2010.

Google map, Tokyo map.