A brainless amoeboid yellow slime could be the key to figuring out human intelligence and help Japanese researchers build future bio-computers.

Amoeboid yellow slime may seem like simple mould but they could organize themselves to take the most direct route through a maze to find food while avoiding damage from light. The mould even remembers dangers and avoids them for a second time. Not bad for simple organisms.

The slime mold, which has been around Earth for hundreds of millions of years, appears to have evolved to adapt to dangerous environments. They may even have a modicum of information-processing ability that allows them to choose the right route through a maze and avoid danger.

"Humans are not the only living things with information-processing abilities," Toshiyuki Nakagaki of Future University Hakodate told AFP.

"Simple creatures can solve certain kinds of difficult puzzles," Nakagaki said. "If you want to spotlight the essence of life or intelligence, it's easier to use these simple creatures."

The slime mold aren't really intelligent but they are able to adapt to their surroundings and solve problems that would baffle many advanced computers and software today. Slime molds can create more effective networks by flowing over areas to find the best routes. They can even adjust themselves to environmental changes. Research has shown that slime molds become inactive when subjected to temperature or humidity changes.

These primitive molds could be used in future designs of new transport systems that need to include detours to get around power outages. They are also the key to understanding human intelligence.

Masahi Aono, a researcher at Riken, a natural science research institute says slime molds can help in analyzing the mechanism of the human brain.

"I'm convinced that studying the information-processing capabilities of lower organisms may lead to an understanding of the human brain system," Aono said. "That's my motivation and ambition as a researcher."

However, Aono's ultimate goal is creating bio-computer using actual slime molds. The slime mold bio-computer would use software modeled after the methods slime molds use to form networks. It could lead to a new way of computing that will be faster and more powerful than conventional computers.