Projects & Ideas - The Slime Mould Collective2024-03-28T18:37:07Zhttp://slimoco.ning.com/forum/categories/projects-ideas/listForCategory?categoryId=3917201%3ACategory%3A1234&feed=yes&xn_auth=noalgorithmic model of slime mould decision makingtag:slimoco.ning.com,2024-01-21:3917201:Topic:1735252024-01-21T13:56:09.026Zmatilde sartorihttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/matildesartori
<p>Hello!! </p>
<p><span>I have a keen interest in exploring the dynamic functionalities of slime mould for my TFM, through the lens of machine learning. Specifically, I am interested in creating a simplistic machine learning model that emulates the operational dynamics of slime mould. The aim is not to apply the model to solve human problems, such as "the shortest path" or the "Traveling Salesman Problem," as seen in previous research involving slime mould and algorithms. Instead, my goal is…</span></p>
<p>Hello!! </p>
<p><span>I have a keen interest in exploring the dynamic functionalities of slime mould for my TFM, through the lens of machine learning. Specifically, I am interested in creating a simplistic machine learning model that emulates the operational dynamics of slime mould. The aim is not to apply the model to solve human problems, such as "the shortest path" or the "Traveling Salesman Problem," as seen in previous research involving slime mould and algorithms. Instead, my goal is to mathematically formulate and code the functioning of slime mould in Python in some ways which I still don’t have really clear. I envision this project from a posthuman perspective, seeking to develop a “human” code that represents the behavior of a non-human entity within the framework of a posthuman philosophy.</span></p>
<p><span>Do any of you have any advice? Any interesting documents to pass on to me? Some idea? </span></p>
<p><span>I write this post to seek comparison and to expand my research with you. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>Thank you :) </span></p>
<p><span>Matilde </span></p>
<pre class="tw-data-text tw-text-large tw-ta" id="tw-target-text" dir="ltr"><span class="Y2IQFc" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> </span></pre> Sm and packaging designtag:slimoco.ning.com,2023-07-14:3917201:Topic:1692302023-07-14T13:39:47.152ZJess Elliotthttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/JessElliott
<p>Hi Collective ! I represent a group of creative packaging designers in corrugated board. We are going to work with SM to see if we can find fresh thinking with box design and transport networks our packaging moves through - e-commerce couriers and palletized shipments.</p>
<p>First question of many - does the amount of food placed have any bearing on the interaction with the slime ? Does it "do more" around more food, less around smaller pieces - thinking of weighting certain design elements…</p>
<p>Hi Collective ! I represent a group of creative packaging designers in corrugated board. We are going to work with SM to see if we can find fresh thinking with box design and transport networks our packaging moves through - e-commerce couriers and palletized shipments.</p>
<p>First question of many - does the amount of food placed have any bearing on the interaction with the slime ? Does it "do more" around more food, less around smaller pieces - thinking of weighting certain design elements .....</p> Advice rearing from sporetag:slimoco.ning.com,2023-06-16:3917201:Topic:1684632023-06-16T13:45:43.881ZArmanhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/Arman
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>It’s been a while since I’ve raised some slime mold, but I’ve gotten back into it recently. I’m in NYC, and collected some wood a few weeks back to rear some beetles. After some time, I noticed a plasmodium popped up, so I transferred it on its wood into a dish with wet paper towel. Unfortunately, I’ve since run into issues. The first few days went fine, but I noticed that it really didn’t want to come off of the piece of wood to search for oats, just spread around the wood.…</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>It’s been a while since I’ve raised some slime mold, but I’ve gotten back into it recently. I’m in NYC, and collected some wood a few weeks back to rear some beetles. After some time, I noticed a plasmodium popped up, so I transferred it on its wood into a dish with wet paper towel. Unfortunately, I’ve since run into issues. The first few days went fine, but I noticed that it really didn’t want to come off of the piece of wood to search for oats, just spread around the wood. Before long, it started to clump up and I believe has now formed sporangia at an extremely small size. What’s the best protocol moving forward to try and raise a new batch? Should I wait a few days to make sure the sporangia are fully formed first? I can then dry them out and suspend some spores in solution with a bit of oat, but I don’t have agar available to then seed colonies, so maybe I could just pour it onto paper towel? There’s some photos below; if anyone is able to identify from what little is visible that’d be appreciated.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11914010261?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11914010261?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11913935078?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11913935078?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11914118483?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11914118483?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>On a side note: has there been any discussion of forming a Discord or similar for this community? I saw there’s a Facebook group but a server may be convenient for shorter or more informal communication.</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Arman</p> Sporulation?tag:slimoco.ning.com,2023-05-26:3917201:Topic:1683152023-05-26T00:40:47.829ZMaxwellhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/Maxwell158
<p> Recently, I’ve been messing around with a hemitrichia plasmodium that I grew from sporangia obtained from the wilderness. The plasmodia was white at first, but began to turn yellow after it began depleting the agar on which I was growing it on. I then transferred it to a larger plate, and after a couple of days, I began noticing some weird behavior. It had originally spread out across the plate, but was now clumping up into mounds which had the appearance of scrambled eggs (Picture 1).…</p>
<p> Recently, I’ve been messing around with a hemitrichia plasmodium that I grew from sporangia obtained from the wilderness. The plasmodia was white at first, but began to turn yellow after it began depleting the agar on which I was growing it on. I then transferred it to a larger plate, and after a couple of days, I began noticing some weird behavior. It had originally spread out across the plate, but was now clumping up into mounds which had the appearance of scrambled eggs (Picture 1). The amorphous blobs eventually somewhat organized into mounds of little spheres (Picture 2). It also went from a slimy texture to a rubbery one that held its shape when poked. In all, this process took 2-3 days.</p>
<p><br/> I suspect that this was the slime mold sporulating, but I am not entirely sure. Since it formed into the mounds of little spheres, it hasn’t changed much. I was wondering if this was really sporulation. I couldn't find any literature of media relating to the sporulation of hemitrichia specifically, so I don’t really have anything to compare this to. I would greatly appreciate if anyone could confirm to me what was happening here. If it does end up being sporulation, I would also appreciate it if someone could let me know how long this process usually takes and if the development looks normal.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p> Getting Plasmodia to sporulate and form sclerotiatag:slimoco.ning.com,2023-04-19:3917201:Topic:1674052023-04-19T00:39:41.152ZMaxwellhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/Maxwell158
<p>Hello, </p>
<p></p>
<p>I’ve been trying to complete the spore to spore life cycle of a hemitrichia species. I’ve had success in getting it form plasmodia, but I’d like some advice past this point. I’d like to know how to get the plasmodia to form sclerotia and sporulate. Frim what I know, sporulation is encouraged when the slime mold runs out of food and is exposed to light, and they form sclerotia when dehydrated. I have a couple questions regarding this. Firstly, does would any light work…</p>
<p>Hello, </p>
<p></p>
<p>I’ve been trying to complete the spore to spore life cycle of a hemitrichia species. I’ve had success in getting it form plasmodia, but I’d like some advice past this point. I’d like to know how to get the plasmodia to form sclerotia and sporulate. Frim what I know, sporulation is encouraged when the slime mold runs out of food and is exposed to light, and they form sclerotia when dehydrated. I have a couple questions regarding this. Firstly, does would any light work getting them to sporulate, or do they also need the UV light found in natural sun light. Secondly, do slime molds need moisture when sporulating in order to prevent them from forming sclerotia, or are both processes done without moisture.Thirdly, how big would the plasmodia have to be for hemitrichia to sporulate? Lastly, should food be taken away from the slime mold when trying to get it to from sclerotia. Any answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated along with any general tips. Thank you in advance.</p> Interview on creative slime mould worktag:slimoco.ning.com,2023-03-16:3917201:Topic:1666302023-03-16T13:06:31.500ZZak Lakota-Baldwinhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/ZakLakotaBaldwin
<p>Hello all! I'm a master's student at UCL on the Science, Technology and Society programme, and I'm currently putting together a magazine for a Science Journalism module. The magazine is themed around creative uses of science by people who aren't scientists in the conventional, professional sense, and I've become really interested in all the amazing things being done with slime moulds.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I wanted to ask if anyone in this collective would be willing to share some words for a short…</p>
<p>Hello all! I'm a master's student at UCL on the Science, Technology and Society programme, and I'm currently putting together a magazine for a Science Journalism module. The magazine is themed around creative uses of science by people who aren't scientists in the conventional, professional sense, and I've become really interested in all the amazing things being done with slime moulds.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I wanted to ask if anyone in this collective would be willing to share some words for a short interview piece - ideally someone who's working with slime moulds for some kind of artistic/creative endeavour rather than in an official scientific research capacity, but I'm pretty open to anything provided you're happy to talk about your process. I'm also flexible with how this interview might be conducted - could do a video call or just answer some questions over email if that's easier.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I hope it's OK to ask for this sort of thing on here, apologies if not - I'm still new to this group! But I'd be really grateful if anyone's up for talking to me about all the fun and exciting things they've done with slime moulds. Please let me know if you have any questions :)</p> Slime Mold Maze (High School Experiment)tag:slimoco.ning.com,2022-12-03:3917201:Topic:1632332022-12-03T15:17:29.084ZMatthewhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/Matthew710
<p>Hi ,I am a high school student in Taiwan, sorry for my english is not very good. I want to do a slime mold maze experiment in the high school biology club. I would like to ask what needs to be considered in my experimental design, or what should be paid attention to during the experiment.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The following is my experimental design:</p>
<p>I use Physarum polycephalum</p>
<p>Put damp paper towels in the plastic crisper, use plastic sheets as the walls of the maze, and place cereal…</p>
<p>Hi ,I am a high school student in Taiwan, sorry for my english is not very good. I want to do a slime mold maze experiment in the high school biology club. I would like to ask what needs to be considered in my experimental design, or what should be paid attention to during the experiment.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The following is my experimental design:</p>
<p>I use Physarum polycephalum</p>
<p>Put damp paper towels in the plastic crisper, use plastic sheets as the walls of the maze, and place cereal in each corner and at the beginning of the maze (where I placed the Sclerotium)</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thank you for your answers</p> Any tips on finding an affordable camera making slime time lapses?tag:slimoco.ning.com,2022-07-01:3917201:Topic:1592042022-07-01T16:30:28.063ZZander Chiericihttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/AlexanderChierici
<p>I work at a highschool lab (as a passionate student) and am designing slime mould experiments for next year's biology class. I have been trying to find a good camera for capturing slimes in low or or infrared light, but since it's a high school class the budget is about $2000 for 5 cameras. But would prefer to stay on the cheap side if possible.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Does anybody have any camera recommendations or infrared set ups? </p>
<p></p>
<p>I was thinking of taking out the infrared filter in…</p>
<p>I work at a highschool lab (as a passionate student) and am designing slime mould experiments for next year's biology class. I have been trying to find a good camera for capturing slimes in low or or infrared light, but since it's a high school class the budget is about $2000 for 5 cameras. But would prefer to stay on the cheap side if possible.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Does anybody have any camera recommendations or infrared set ups? </p>
<p></p>
<p>I was thinking of taking out the infrared filter in my gopro and adding an infrared light pointing at the slime so I could record it when it's actually active.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I'm working with Physarum polycephalum if that helps.</p>
<p></p> I'm new to slime molds and need help on how to grow them from sporestag:slimoco.ning.com,2022-03-02:3917201:Topic:1581612022-03-02T03:24:42.631ZMaxwellhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/Maxwell158
<p>I've recently become very interested in slime molds and have been trying to grow some. I have done a decent amount of research on them and have a decent understanding of how they work. I'm trying to grow some Stemonitis sp. spores which were found on a sporocarp which I found during a hike in a coastal deciduous forest. I have tried many different things to grow the slime mold, but I am having trouble with a couple of things. I will now detail all the different methods I have tried. All of…</p>
<p>I've recently become very interested in slime molds and have been trying to grow some. I have done a decent amount of research on them and have a decent understanding of how they work. I'm trying to grow some Stemonitis sp. spores which were found on a sporocarp which I found during a hike in a coastal deciduous forest. I have tried many different things to grow the slime mold, but I am having trouble with a couple of things. I will now detail all the different methods I have tried. All of the containers I used to try and grow the slime mold in were kept in an incubator which fluctuated between 23-25 degrees Celsius and kept a constant humidity of above 85%.</p>
<p></p>
<p>First, I used a cotton swab to collect the spores from a container. I then placed the cotton swab on an LB agar plate and dampened it with tap water from a squirt bottle. I then placed it into the incubator. I then placed some instant oats onto the plates. This resulted in almost nothing happening. The only promising result I found was that the spores on only one of the cotton swabs had germinated and produced myxamoeba. I found this out by using a pipette to draw water from the cotton swab and then observing the water under a microscope. The Agar plates were started on February 12, 2022. They were thrown out within the last week or so.</p>
<p></p>
<p>After that, I tried using a Paper towel. I took an empty petri dish and placed a paper towel dampened with tap water into it. I moved the one cotton swab which had myxamoeba on it onto the paper towel. In addition, I rubbed some spores straight onto the paper towel. I also place some instant oats onto the paper towel. I then placed this dish into the incubator as well. This also resulted in nothing. However, the myxamoeba on the cotton swab was still doing fine but produced no plasmodium. I can't remember when I started this one, but I still have 2 repetitions of it in the incubator.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I then tried the method with the paper towel again but used laboratory filter paper instead. As with before, I moved the cotton swab with myxamoeba onto the filter paper and rubbed some spores straight onto the paper. This resulted in nothing again, but at least the myxamoeba were still fine. I don't know how long the cotton swab with myxamoeba has been going for, but it has been on the filter paper since February 21, 2022. The cotton swab itself is 2 weeks old.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Next, I placed some potting soil onto a petri dish. I then placed a spore-covered cotton swab onto it, rubbed some spores into the dirt, and then sprayed it down with tap water. I also did the same thing again, but instead of dirt, I just filled a Petri Dish with tap water. I then put a cotton swab into the water-filled Petri dish, and also placed some spores straight into the water. Both of these went into the incubator. These were started on February 24, 2022. </p>
<p></p>
<p>I then read a paper on a scientific study where the whole life cycle of Stemonitits Fusca was documented. They started out with the spores which were gathered from the wild. I followed along with the processes and methods used in the study pretty accurately, but I had to make some changes with how I did it due to the limitations of my equipment. First, I cut off the tips of 3 cotton swabs that were covered in spores. Since each cotton swab was double-sided, this left me with 6 of the cotton tips of the cotton swabs, which were covered in spores. I then filled a 13 ml test tube to about 1/3 full with distilled water. After that, I placed the 6 cotton swab tips into it, along with some of the sporocarp. I then put this into the incubator with the cap off. This has been going on for only 2 days, and I have been regularly examining the water under my microscope. I have found no evidence of the spores germinating so far. It was started on February 27, 2022.</p>
<p></p>
<p>After all of this, the only result I got was some myxamoeba on one cotton swab. I would like to know what I am doing wrong, and how to fix it so that I can grow slime molds. I am not sure what the problem is. It might be that there are some mistakes with how I am trying to grow the slime molds, or it might just be me being impatient and giving up too easily. If you're reading this, could you please reply with some sort of advice if you have any? Thank You.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Colour variationtag:slimoco.ning.com,2022-02-07:3917201:Topic:1579572022-02-07T08:08:47.539Zianhttp://slimoco.ning.com/profile/ian
<p>It's a bit more obvious to the eye but kinda shows up on camera, there's a fair bit of variation in pigment intensity between some strains. I had a quick play with chromatography over 2020 and it looks like it's a case of more or less pigment rather than different pigments. Colour seems like an easy target for breeding work.…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10076646695?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10076646695?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="540"></img></a></p>
<p>It's a bit more obvious to the eye but kinda shows up on camera, there's a fair bit of variation in pigment intensity between some strains. I had a quick play with chromatography over 2020 and it looks like it's a case of more or less pigment rather than different pigments. Colour seems like an easy target for breeding work.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10076646695?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10076646695?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="540" class="align-center"/></a></p>