Nourrissage du myxomycète, "Physarum polycephalum" avec des flocons d’avoine

Feeding the social amoeba Physarum polycephalum, commonly referred to as the "blob", with rolled oats. This primitive, unicellular organism grows in damp environments and feeds on bacteria and fungi, which it digests using chemical substances. In the laboratory, research scientists feed it with rolled oats. If it is fed correctly, it can double in size each day and grow to measure up to 10 m2. If it dries out, it forms a sclerotium (the overwintering form of fungi) and eliminates accumulated toxicity. Just a few drops of water are all it takes to revive it. Its numerous characteristics include the capacity, despite the fact that it does not have a brain, to learn from its experiences and pass on the information learned to other individuals by fusing with them. Lastly, it has a venous system that forms according to the same physical laws that govern the vascularisation of cancerous tumours, which means it could be used as a model.