Dépôt du myxomycète, "Physarum polycephalum", dans une boîte de Petri humidifiée

Placing the social amoeba Physarum polycephalum, commonly referred to as the "blob", in a damp Petri dish. This primitive, unicellular organism grows in damp environments and feeds on bacteria and fungi, which it digests using chemical substances. It can double in size each day. 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. It is also sensitive to light, and is kept in an incubator in the laboratory. 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.