The image depicts the slime mold Physarum polycephalum, a type of protist, specifically a slime mold - organisms that fall between fungi and animals.
These slime molds are quite remarkable, with extensive research surrounding them. Despite lacking the organs found in animals, they possess multinucleated cells and accomplish feats that many animals cannot!
Here are a few of its miraculous feats:
When placed in a plastic maze, the slime mold Physarum polycephalum extends hundreds of tendrils, exploring all possible paths until it finds a route to food, then it retracts all tendrils leading to dead ends.
Surprisingly, when researchers placed food at different points along the paths, it consistently chose the shortest route to the food, even distinguishing between tiny differences.
2. It has memory!
In maze experiments, they can flawlessly avoid those wrong pathways, possibly because of the slime trails they leave behind.
Yet, lacking brains, researchers explain they possess a form of "physical memory" – a rudimentary memory pattern.
Researchers placed slime molds in plastic molds shaped like Tokyo, Japan, and placed food at locations mirroring major transport hubs in the real city.
They discerned the fastest routes and replicated a city railway network using their pseudopods (false feet).
4. It learns and records time.
Researchers placed it in a long groove, allowing it to move along the groove, and then every 30 minutes, researchers lowered the temperature and humidity.
As the temperature and humidity decrease, the slime molds slow down to reduce energy consumption. Afterward, without any further intervention, they continue to slow down every 30 minutes.
This indicates their ability to learn and maintain time, which is considered a form of "habitual learning" and a primitive form of learning ability.
Researchers placed the slime mold in the center of a circular clock face, and then at each mark of the clock, different foods were placed, some consisting of the healthiest carbohydrates and proteins, while others did not. The slime mold demonstrated an understanding of preferring healthy food options.
