The large-scale structure of the universe is made up of galaxies in galaxy groups and clusters. They're surrounded by vast voids, and filaments of gas travel through the voids, linking groups, clusters, and superclusters together. But what effect do the filaments have on the evolution of galaxies?

A team of researchers developed a novel way to identify these filaments and build a catalogue of them. They used the Illustris TNG simulator and a slime mold simulator to help identify the filaments. With a better understanding of where filaments are, they can start to understand what role the filaments play in the evolution of galaxies.

They presented their results in a paper titled "Filaments of The Slime Mold Cosmic Web And How They Affect Galaxy Evolution." The study has been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal, and the paper is currently in pre-press; it is currently available on the preprint server arXiv. The lead author is Farhanul Hasan from the Department of Astronomy at New Mexico State University.

Slime molds are one of nature's most unusual life forms. Some are collective lifeforms that contain an assemblage of different organisms. Somehow, they optimize themselves by spreading tubes across their environment. This allows them to navigate mazes to reach food and to return to an area that previously held food. That's remarkable because they do it all without a brain. Their unusual abilities make them valuable in astrophysics.