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PTreeDish



Registered: 04/22/18
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Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter 3
#26533060 - 03/13/20 04:21 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
The cosmic web is a vast network of interconnected filaments made of dark matter and gas that forms the scaffolding the entire universe is built upon. These filaments can stretch hundreds of millions of light-years, and they connect galaxies, galaxy clusters, and even galaxy superclusters together. However, because the cosmic web is incredibly faint — and the dark matter within it doesn’t interact with light — it’s extremely difficult to map.
To tackle this challenge, researchers at University of California Santa Cruz sifted through archived data for more than 37,000 galaxies before charting their positions in the sky. They then used a sophisticated algorithm to map out the invisible filaments of gas and dark matter between those galaxies to determine how they are interacting with each other, as well as how the cosmic web influences star formation in these galaxies.
But this wasn’t your average algorithm. Instead, the researchers used a model inspired by slime mold — specifically, the species Physarum polycephalum.
https://astronomy.com/news/2020/03/slime-mold-helps-astronomers-map-the-universes-dark-matter https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab700c
If you're a coder and want to dive into the actual implementation of slide mold algorithms, I found this great little ipython notebook containing some of the climb algorithms along with sample tests: https://github.com/Alexander-Guy/SlimeClimb/blob/master/SlimeClimb.ipynb
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Asclepius
Human Being



Registered: 01/09/18
Posts: 2,209
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: PTreeDish]
#26533279 - 03/13/20 06:30 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I recall Paul Stamets remarking about this or something similar. It's really neat stuff!
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PTreeDish



Registered: 04/22/18
Posts: 353
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: Asclepius] 1
#26537516 - 03/15/20 09:11 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Very cool, indeed. I was reading how this slime mold has exhibits signs of intelligence and has caused some interesting philosophical questions around how intelligence is defined given this fungus has no brain but it able to make basic anticipatory decisions.
Would be a fun sp. to do some experiments with.
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
Posts: 31,456
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: PTreeDish]
#26537650 - 03/15/20 11:23 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I installed Jupyter and tried to run it but I'm not sure what's supposed to happen exactly. A local webpage loads and there is a run button but nothing dramatic happens.
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
Posts: 31,456
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: psi]
#26537680 - 03/15/20 11:59 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Ok it looks like it was generating png images in the same directory.
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Thanatos10
Stranger



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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: psi]
#26537748 - 03/16/20 01:29 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Dark Matter is more of a hypothesis rather than something that actually exists.
-------------------- As lightless oblivion devours you, drown in the ever-blooming darkness.
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PTreeDish



Registered: 04/22/18
Posts: 353
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: Thanatos10]
#26538392 - 03/16/20 11:13 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: PTreeDish]
#26538529 - 03/16/20 12:35 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I find it ironic that slime mold is itself a sort of "dark matter", strange, mysterious, weird substance. The parallels are quite interesting.
Really provides some excellent evidence of the Macrocosm/Microcosm idea
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: LogicaL Chaos] 2
#26538603 - 03/16/20 01:12 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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On Star Trek Discovery there was a mycelial network tying the universe together. Also the guy who was the foremost expert on it was called Paul Stamets.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: psi] 2
#26538638 - 03/16/20 01:33 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Oh i heard about that! Astromycologist 
I still gotta buy that service to watch it. On my to do list. Have u seen simulated images of the Galaxy Filaments?
Very much mycelium-like: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5844/1527.full
Better one: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/G/Galactic+Filaments
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: LogicaL Chaos] 1
#26538674 - 03/16/20 01:53 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Apparently in pretty much every country except Canada and the US it's just on Netflix. Signed back up for the one that has it in Canada because of the new Picard series. Not sure when the new season of Discovery comes out. That one they make in Toronto, my brother in law knows a guy who does digital set design for it or something.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




Registered: 05/12/07
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: psi]
#26538677 - 03/16/20 01:55 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Really? Huh. Imagine that.
Is Discovery on Netflix too? Or is it only CBS All-Access?
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
Posts: 31,456
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Re: Slime mold helps astronomers map the universe’s dark matter [Re: LogicaL Chaos]
#26538694 - 03/16/20 02:10 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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As far as I know, Discovery is only on the CBS streaming service in the US. In Canada, both shows are on Crave TV, which is owned by Bell Canada.
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