ACCEPT THIRD-PARTY COOKIES?
DETAILS

Third party cookies:

  • Google invisible reCAPTCHA - google.com
    (required to protect form entries from automated misuse)
MEGAGROUNDSLOTH.de

MEGAGROUNDSLOTH.de

My story

HOME

Description:

This post is part of the artistic performance The Happening on Instagram.

Post #881:

Published on
Picture in Oberursel Picture in Oberursel Picture in Oberursel

Strange? Neither an animal, nor a plant, nor a fungus— something entirely unique with astonishing capabilities. The slime mold Physarum polycephalum is the largest single-celled organism in the world. What you see in the images is the yellow plasmodium feeding on grains of rice. The rectangular piece of agar is the medium on which I acquired the slime mold in its dry dormant phase (sclerotium).

The life cycle of Physarum polycephalum consists of several phases. It initially begins in the spore phase, where the slime mold survives by forming spores that are dispersed in the environment. These spores are resilient and can endure for long periods under unfavorable conditions. When conditions are favorable, the spores germinate and develop into mobile amoebas known as myxamoebas. These myxamoebas are amoeboid and can actively move in search of food, such as bacteria and organic matter.

When multiple myxamoebas meet, they can fuse together to form a plasmodium. In this multinucleate phase, which is responsible for growth and feeding, the slime mold exhibits remarkable behaviors, efficiently navigating mazes and remembering pathways as well as negative experiences.

When environmental conditions become unfavorable, such as during food scarcity or drought, the plasmodium transforms into the fruiting body phase, in which it produces fruiting bodies that contain spores. It is important to note that the plasmodium also transforms into the fruiting body phase in response to light. These spores can then revert to the spore phase, completing the life cycle. Additionally, the slime mold can enter a dry dormant phase, during which it shifts into an inactive state and survives as a sclerotium until conditions become favorable again.

Moreover, Physarum polycephalum can split into multiple individuals and fuse with other individuals, merging memories as well. Not only does it serve as a model organism for science, but its capabilities also stimulate philosophical reflections on how to define intelligence.

Species in this post: Blob Physarum polycephalum
Topic: ➟ Neurodiversity
Details:

This post is part of the artistic performance The Happening on Instagram.

Further information about this art project Related post on Instagram

Creator of this post is Frederic Hilpert

© File Usage Guidelines This post on megagroundsloth.de
Comments (0)  LEAVE A COMMENT 

Zero comments in total

 COMMENT:  IMPORTANT NOTICE: All comments must first be approved by the admin.*
Information * Please adhere to the good manners in public space. Insults, hate and hostility have no place here. Links to other websites are not allowed. By submitting a comment, you agree that your public IP address will be stored. Your IP address will never be shared or published. Based on your IP address, a publicly visible location is determined and attached to the comment. The location is subject to variable accuracy. The site operator has the right to delete or not to publish comments without giving reasons. The site operator never changes the content of comments. Subsequent deletion of the comment and the stored information is only possible in exceptional cases (clear and convincing evidence must be provided that you wrote the comment or that your rights are restricted by the comment).
Facebook Instagram Tumblr X Tiktok Snapchat Youtube Linkedin


CONNECT WITH MEGAGROUNDSLOTH

Instagram - Follow me on Instagram! Facebook - Find me on Facebook! Tumblr - Read my blog on Tumblr! TikTok - Add me on TikTok! YouTube - Watch my videos on YouTube! X - Follow me on X! Snapchat - Add me on Snapchat! LinkedIn - Connect with me via LinkedIn!
YOUR ACCOUNT

ACCESS







Note: The contents of this website have been researched to the best of my knowledge and belief, but they may contain errors or be oversimplified. The articles serve as inspiration and for the exchange of experiences and are intended to impart knowledge. Anyone who wants to seriously engage with my topics should also use other sources. Private or personal details may be adapted for the public audience and may not always be completely true.

Eco Friendly

This website runs on a CO₂ neutral server.

megagroundsloth

All rights reserved.

© by Frederic Hilpert

This website was created by

The picture shows the logo of Frederic Hilpert - Media & Marketing Solutions. A symbolic monochrome dark brown representation of a sloth hanging from a branch and two large leaves above. Below it is written: eco-friendly efficient (newline) Frederic Hilpert (newline) Media & Marketing Solutions

Impressum - Contact - About - Sitemap