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"In Search of the Optimal Scumsucking Bottomfeeder," by Brian Hayes. American Scientist, September-October 2003, pages 392-396.
Certain "trace fossils" with spiral and zig-zag shapes resemble computer-generated self-avoiding walks. The study of these trace fossils is called ichnology. Ichnologists wonder what kind of animals left these paths. Why did the animals move the way they did (confining themselves to two-dimensional paths, for example)? In this article Hayes also addresses these questions about trace fossils, which were once thought to be left by plants. The paths left by the animals appear to relate to efficient searching for food, which is the optimality referred to in the incredibly original title.
--- Mike Breen
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