INTELLIGENCE WITHOUT
NEURONS

Core Idea: Cognition may emerge from the geometry of signal flow—not just the presence of synapses.

We use aneural organisms like Physarum polycephalum to investigate the physical basis of computation, memory, and decision-making. These systems allow us to decouple cognition from neuronal networks and focus on how morphology, field effects, and signal geometry enable intelligent behavior.

Key Directions:
• Physical computation in soft matter: Mapping how strain, boundary conditions, and signal feedback loops create decision architectures in slime mold and synthetic systems.
• Distributed sensing and response: Developing assays to measure how multicellular systems integrate signals across space and time to make collective decisions.
• Cognition as information routing: Testing the role of field coherence and signal propagation in system-level optimization.