An international network of/for intelligent organisms
Should we be worried?
As a community, most of us work with slime mold without lab protection (gloves, goggles, lab coat, biological hood).
Many people around me are slightly concerned about the presence of microorganisms (though they aren't really microorganisms). Should we be more cautious? Is there anything potentially harmful in slime molds?
Maybe they're controlling our minds to make us raise slime molds...who knows?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brent on
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Dont leave em too close to where you sleep or they may climb up your nose and take over your brain!
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The slimes themselves are harmless - skin contact etc isn't an issue ( can't rule out allergy of course ) and we've had multiple cases of accidental ( and deliberate ) ingestion for physarum at least. ( Don't, it's like rotten salad with a really bitter edge ).
We can't rule out someone finding a wild species that turns out to be toxic but you'd still have to be eating it.
We should be worried about escapes though - these are lab bred organisms with no place in the wild - introduced species cause havoc on a global scale. Anyone working with slimes should be making sure they're truly dead before chucking them. I put my solid waste in a large tub and give it a good spray with disinfectant then leave it overnight. Strong detergents, high salt concs will do the job as well.
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