Slime Mold Physarum polycephalum Day Walker
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Administratorem danych osobowych jest PHU Krystian Solga. Przetwarzamy je w celu przesłania odpowiedzi na zapytanie. Więcej informacji dotyczących przetwarzania danych osobowych znajduje się w polityce prywatności.
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Description
"Le Blob" Physarum polycephalum, 'Day Walker' strain
We present Physarum polycephalum, known worldwide as "Le Blob". It is the hero of dozens of scientific studies and even experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). It is a fascinating, single-celled slime mold that defies all classification. It is neither an animal, a plant, nor a fungus. It belongs to the Amoebozoa supergroup. It is a giant, multinucleated cell (syncytium) exhibiting astounding "intelligent" behavior despite lacking a nervous system.
The offered 'Day Walker' strain (also known as "x32") is a unique variety. It was selected and used by scientists from the French Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) for massive educational projects. Its key and absolutely unique feature is high tolerance to daylight.
Key Advantage: Why the 'Day Walker' Strain?
Standard wild Physarum strains are highly photophobic and are terrified of light. Exposing them to light (especially combined with starvation) triggers irreversible sporulation (reproductive phase). This ends the active life of the organism. This forces keeping them in total darkness, e.g., in a closed cabinet.
'Day Walker' solves this problem. This exceptional slime mold does not react to diffused daylight as a stress signal. Thanks to this:
- You can observe it constantly: It is perfect for placing on a desk, in a classroom, or in an observation terrarium.
- It is ideal for beginners: The greatest threat in breeding the "Blob" is mold or bacterial infection. In darkness, these are easy to miss. The ability to constantly observe the 'Day Walker' strain allows you to immediately detect the problem and react. This makes keeping it much easier and more forgiving of mistakes.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Physarum polycephalum 'Day Walker' (x32 strain) |
| Strain Origin | Derived from CNRS research strains (France) |
| Key Feature | Daylight tolerance (does not sporulate easily) |
| Diet | Dry oat flakes (rolled oats). Our springtail food as a boost. |
| Temperature | Room temperature (ideally 20-25°C) |
| Humidity | Very high (breeding on a moist substrate) |
What Do You Get?
You are buying a fully active culture. We ship a live plasmodium with an area at least as large as you choose when purchasing. It is ready for immediate observation and further breeding. Importantly, the slime mold can drastically change its surface area within a few hours. It can become both larger and smaller. Therefore, it may happen that you receive a larger or smaller one than ordered. We are unable to bypass this in any way.
Our slime mold is shipped in a convenient, round 350ml container. It can be tightly closed and easily opened. At the bottom of the container is a sterile layer of agar. It provides ideal humidity and a living substrate during transport. This container should be enough for a few weeks of breeding. However, you can immediately take one or several oat flakes with the slime mold to start new cultures of your own.
The set also includes a portion of oat flakes for the start. It is enough to establish several solid new cultures.
Extraordinary Biology and "Intelligence" of the Slime Mold
Owning Physarum polycephalum is like owning a living research subject. Scientific studies, largely conducted by the French CNRS, have proven that this extraordinary slime mold can:
- Solve problems: It can find the shortest path in a maze. In a famous experiment, it recreated the optimized Tokyo railway network using oat flakes as "cities". It operates on the principle of "embodied intelligence". It strengthens the veins through which cytoplasm flows efficiently and resorbs the unused ones.
- Learn (Habituation): It can "get used to" harmless but unpleasant stimuli (e.g., salt or caffeine). It learns to ignore them to reach food faster.
- Transfer "Knowledge": Most amazingly, a "learned" slime mold can connect (fuse) with a "naive" individual and pass on the acquired knowledge. Three hours of fusion are enough for the newly connected organism to immediately "know" that salt is harmless.
Memory Mechanism (How does it work?)
CNRS research has shown that the Blob's "memory" is not abstract, but physical. The organism "learns" salt by absorbing it and storing it in the cytoplasm. When it connects with a naive individual, this "knowledge" (i.e., the salt solution) literally flows through the newly formed veins. This immediately "programs" the second individual.
Breeding Step by Step
You receive an active culture in a 350ml container. This should be enough for a few weeks of breeding. You can, however, immediately start multiplying the "Blob" and setting up new cultures. The following instructions apply to classic agar breeding:
- Culture Transfer: Use a clean tool (e.g., a scalded spoon) to cut out a fragment of the "Blob" along with the agar from the transport container. You can also take an oat flake that it has just colonized. Transfer it to a new, fresh substrate (see below).
- Feeding: Use dry oat flakes (regular rolled oats, not instant). Place 1-2 flakes near the active edge of the slime mold, not directly on it. Our springtail food can be used as a quick "boost" for the start. The slime mold grows on it at lightning speed (it eats only selected ingredients). However, it leaves a bit of a mess. In the long run, oat flakes are recommended as the staple diet.
- Care: The "Blob" must be fed regularly (e.g., every 1-2 days). You can (but it is absolutely not necessary) gently rinse the culture with clean water every day and pour off the excess. This removes metabolic waste.
- Hygiene (Most Important): To avoid mold (the greatest enemy), you can transfer a small, active piece of the "Blob" to a completely new, clean substrate every 7-10 days. Do this by cutting out a fragment of agar or taking a recently colonized oat flake.
Alternative Breeding Methods
1. Agar Substrate
This is the most aesthetic and recommended method. Mix 2g of agar (vegan gelatin) in 200ml of water. This proportion tested by us works perfectly. Just pour boiling water over the powder and stir for a few seconds until it dissolves. Pour the hot liquid into clean dishes (e.g., Petri dishes) and wait for it to set (approx. 20-30 minutes).
2. Breeding on Paper
Instead of agar, the "Blob" can be successfully bred on damp paper (e.g., unscented toilet paper, tissues, or paper towels). Such breeding is less aesthetic, but it has its advantages. It is faster to prepare and does not require buying agar. It also greatly facilitates the subsequent drying of the plasmodium if we want to create our own sclerotium.
3. Breeding in Soil (Low Maintenance)
An interesting method is constant breeding in a bioactive container. A container with a capacity of 1-2 liters, a few centimeters of soil at the bottom, and the addition of 1-2 springtail species are enough. Such a system seems to eliminate the need to constantly set up a new, sterile culture. It allows you to keep the slime mold permanently in the same container.
How to Store the "Blob" (Creating a Sclerotium)
If you are going on vacation, you can easily put your "Blob" to sleep. Transfer an active piece to a dry substrate (e.g., a paper towel). Stop feeding and watering it, and then place it in a dark place. Within 2-3 days, it will slowly dry up, forming a hard sclerotium. In this form, it can be stored for many months. It is ready to be reactivated at any time. Just add a drop of water.
Shipping Information
Due to the huge interest in the "Blob" and the fact that we want to keep such a low price, we set the default shipping time to 5 business days. Usually, however, we try to process orders much faster.
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