Japanese and British researchers find that the wood mold successfully navigates a maze from one food source to another. The scientists suggest that the searching ability of mold may lead to efficient designs of roadways and rail ways. On a large map of Japan, bits of oat flake food were placed at the locations of major cities. Mold was then introduced and allowed to grow outward from the point representing Tokyo. In just 24 hours, the mold colony had self-organized and formed a network of connections between the “cities.” Surprisingly, the result was nearly identical to Tokyo’s actual rail system. The researchers now are building mathematical models that simulate the mold’s behavior, and will apply the results to new transportation plans. The efficient design technique may further apply to communication networks and power grids.