NASA launched its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) last month, and the payload included Blob, a single-cell slime mold formally known as Physarum polycephalum. This bizarre organism can not only heal itself, smell and find food, but it’s capable of even solving mazes. Now, it’s heading back to Earth after a week of experiments in space so several hundred students between the ages of 8 and 17 can begin experimenting with the Blob. Read more for two videos and additional information.
This single cell and multiple nuclei organism appears to be just yellow fluff. It has no legs or brain, yet it can eat, grow, move and can learn. Their embryos can divide when necessary and the organism can survive dormancy through dehydration. Teachers will receive dehydrated samples between late August and early September, whereas students will conduct several observation sessions to compare the behavior of the samples from Earth with those sent into space.
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Our aim is to investigate the effect of microgravity on slime mold behavior, especially exploration behavior but also growth. But the real main objective of this project is to engage kids in interesting, exciting scientific experiments,” said Audrey Dussutour, a slime mold specialist and director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, a partner institution in this experiment.
