This book is devoted to Slime mould Physarum polycephalum which is a large single cell capable
for distributed sensing concurrent information processing parallel computation and
decentralized actuation. The ease of culturing and experimenting with Physarum makes this slime
mould an ideal substrate for real-world implementations of unconventional sensing and computing
devices The book is a treatise of theoretical and experimental laboratory studies on sensing
and computing properties of slime mould and on the development of mathematical and logical
theories of Physarum behavior. It is shown how to make logical gates and circuits electronic
devices (memristors diodes transistors wires chemical and tactile sensors) with the slime
mould. The book demonstrates how to modify properties of Physarum computing circuits with
functional nano-particles and polymers to interface the slime mould with field-programmable
arrays and touse Physarum as a controller of microbial fuel cells. A unique multi-agent model
of slime is shown to serve well as a software slime mould capable for solving problems of
computational geometry and graph optimization. The multiagent model is complemented by cellular
automata models with parallel accelerations. Presented mathematical models inspired by Physarum
include non-quantum implementation of Shor's factorization structural learning computation of
shortest path tree on dynamic graphs supply chain network design p-adic computing and
syllogistic reasoning. The book is a unique composition of vibrant and lavishly illustrated
essays which will inspire scientists engineers and artists to exploit natural phenomena in
designs of future and emergent computing and sensing devices. It is a 'bible' of experimental
computing with spatially extended living substrates it spanstopics from biology of slime mould
to bio-sensing to unconventional computing devices and robotics non-classical logics and
music and arts.
