Why are neuron axons long and spindly? Study shows they're optimizing signaling efficiency

A team of bioengineers has answered a question that has long puzzled neuroscientists, and may hold a key to better understanding the complexities of neurological disorders: Why are neuron axons designed the way they are? The answer -- that they're designed to balance the speed that information flows into the neuron relative to the time it takes the neuron to process that information -- seems intuitive, but has never been quantified until now.