From Slime Mold to Meta

Abstract

Stirred by the latest research findings on spatial sense and decision-making machinery of slime molds and the rename of Facebook to Meta, the author discusses human’s ability of spatial cognition. Compared with human’s indifferent trial-and-error approaches, slime molds are not inferior to humans in ability of spatial perception and design. Similarly, both slime molds and human beings pursue a balanced beauty under their desire and instinct for survival, in forms of colony shapes and spatial design, respectively. Inspired by the slime mold experiment, the author concerns that in the virtual reality of Metaverse promoted by Facebook, human culture depending on the place, space, and time may disappear, and city image will be erased as well; If geographical constraints no longer exist, do human activities still have meaning? This now is a new challenge to urban and landscape design.