This startup thinks slime mold can help us design better cities

A startup called Mireta aims to use slime mold's biological abilities to create algorithms that could enhance city design, transit efficiency, and infrastructure resilience. By mimicking how slime mold efficiently distributes resources through networks, Mireta believes its software can optimize various urban systems. Despite skepticism from some experts about the practicality of these algorithms in real-world urban planning, Mireta sees potential in nature-inspired solutions for modern urban challenges. The startup, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is also exploring algorithms inspired by ants to further enhance network optimization.