Academic Journal
Mathematical model for worm path simulation in 3D.
| Title: | Mathematical model for worm path simulation in 3D. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Vaughan N; Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences (CBS), University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.; Royal Academy of Engineering, London, United Kingdom. |
| Source: | PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 Sep 11; Vol. 21 (9), pp. e0358065. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 11 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science |
| MeSH Terms: | Computer Simulation* , Models, Biological* , Imaging, Three-Dimensional*, Animals ; Software |
| Abstract: | This research presents the evaluation of a computer simulation for modelling shapes of paths traversed by various artificial species of worm on a 3D orthogonal grid. These resulting 3D worm trace patterns have not been modelled or analysed before. Simulation software was custom developed in multiple programming languages and platforms, supporting 3D graphics and virtual reality visualisations on various headsets and operating systems. A genetic encoding enables exploration of the full range of 3D worm phenotypes, this research modelled every possible unique worm in simulations up to 53.5 million time-steps. The results show that in this new 3D grid, there are 3239 potentially unique worms. Of the 3239 unique worms, 1882 (58%) terminated at the origin. Also 1352 (41%) of worms entered repeating loops, some complex loops were identified with lengths of up to 296639. Currently 5 worms (0.1%) continue to run chaotically beyond 53.5 million population in simulation runs, and their final outcome still has not been identified yet and remains unknown. Simple rules result in surprisingly complex and intricate movements. Images and unique outlier observations are presented demonstrating complex 3D patterns that emerge. (Copyright: © 2026 Neil Vaughan. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. |
| References: | Science. 2002 May 10;296(5570):1112-5. (PMID: 12004128) PLoS One. 2026 Sep 11;21(9):e0358065. (PMID: 42726888) Sci Rep. 2024 May 9;14(1):10655. (PMID: 38724688) Science. 1969 Nov 21;166(3908):994-5. (PMID: 17758062) Artif Life. 1997 Fall;3(4):289-306. (PMID: 9654783) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260911 Date Completed: 20260911 Latest Revision: 20260913 |
| Update Code: | 20260913 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13568494 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0358065 |
| PMID: | 42726888 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
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