u/NormalGrab4800

I recently came across Physarum polycephalum and I'm confused. It's a slime mold with no brain, neurons, or nervous system, yet it can find food, adapt its network, abandon inefficient paths, and form relatively efficient routes through mazes. I understand what it does, but not how. How does it sense food, coordinate its body, and strengthen useful paths without a central controller? What is physically happening inside it? And is this actually a form of intelligence, or just a sophisticated biological response?

I read that it uses living human brain cells grown on a silicon chip instead of relying only on traditional electronic hardware. I'm confused about how this is even possible. How can brain cells on a chip receive information, process it, and produce an output that a computer can use? Are the cells actually "computing" something, or are they just being used as part of a biological system? And how do researchers keep these living cells alive and connected to the electronics?

I recently came across the 2024 Drosophila (fruit fly) whole-brain connectome, which maps around 139,000 neurons and tens of millions of synaptic connections.

I understand the basic idea: researchers have essentially mapped which neurons are connected to which.

But I’m struggling to understand what this actually lets us do.

ELI5 please:

- If I download/access this connectome, what can I actually use it for?

- Can I turn the wiring diagram into a computer simulation or an AI?

- Could I use it to build a small “brain-inspired” agent that learns to navigate, avoid obstacles, remember things, etc.?

- Could the actual neural connections be converted into a spiking neural network?

- How different would that be from simply training a normal neural network?

- And what parts of the real fruit-fly brain are still missing from the connectome?

Basically, I'm trying to understand the journey from:

real fruit fly brain → scanned brain → connectome → computer model → AI/agent

without the explanation becoming a PhD thesis 😂

If someone could explain this like I'm five, but still technically accurately, I'd really appreciate it.

I've noticed something that I find genuinely interesting.

It sometimes feels like women who are traditionally feminine soft-spoken, agreeable, gentle, and generally less confrontational receive certain forms of attention, acceptance, or support without having to ask for them.

Meanwhile, women who are more independent, assertive, outspoken, or “loud” often seem to have to work much harder to receive the same things.

I'm not saying feminine women don't work hard, or that outspoken women are treated badly everywhere. Obviously, personality isn't the only factor here.

But I wonder if there's a social bias behind this.

Do people simply find traditionally feminine behavior more comfortable and rewarding? And when a woman is confident, direct, or doesn't make herself smaller for others, do people unconsciously expect her to prove herself more?

Maybe I'm completely wrong about this, though. If my observation is flawed, biased, or I'm missing an important perspective, please prove me wrong. I'm genuinely open to hearing other viewpoints..

Hey guys,

I've got a mild tan on my face and body, and I'm wondering what actually works to get rid of it.

Are those de-tan soaps/body washes actually worth buying, or are they mostly marketing?

Would something like a body lotion, exfoliating product, or a proper skincare routine work better?

I'm not looking for some instant “fairness” product. I just want to gradually get rid of the tan and get back closer to my natural skin tone.

What has actually worked for you?

Also, if you've dealt with this before, what would you recommend as a practical routine for the face + entire body?

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who've actually tried different products rather than just recommending whatever is trending.

What actually makes someone a good storyteller?

I’m looking for practical advice rather than just “practice more.”

Are there any storytelling techniques, books, exercises, or resources that helped you improve?

Also, what are some common mistakes beginners make when telling stories?

Would love to hear advice from people who are good at storytelling.