Manipulation du myxomycète, "Physarum polycephalum", coupé en deux

Handling the social amoeba Physarum polycephalum, commonly referred to as the "blob", after it has been cut in two. The many characteristics of this primitive, unicellular organism include the ability to heal itself in less than two minutes and reorganise its entire venous system in three hours. It can also be cloned if it is cut into 1-mm pieces. Sensitive to light, it grows in damp environments and feeds on bacteria and fungi. It can double in size each day. Although it has no brain, it is capable of learning from its experiences and passing on the information learned to other individuals by fusing with them, demonstrating that learning is not necessarily dependent on the nervous system. 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.