My oil droplet is smarter than your lab mouse

One of the images that says "science experiment" to the public is that of a rat finding its way through an experimenter's maze. We tend to associate the ability of rats to quickly solve mazes with their navigational skills and intelligence. Mazes also present an interesting challenge to robotics researchers, who can use them to test the navigation skills of their creations. But, as it turns out, some mazes can be navigated without all that much in the way of smarts.

A team of chemists and chemical engineers from Northwestern University have developed an oil droplet that is capable of running through a simple maze, running along the optimal path no less. With no need for food, the oil drop found its way thanks to a combination of a surface active chemicals and a pH gradient that is present in the maze.

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