"hello Ian!!i've had the bizarre idea to scour my local forests for slime... bizarre because these missions really only have oyster mushrooms appearing xD which means i've only connected mushrooms (and leaves) with piezos, that's about…"
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ian
- Birmingham
- United Kingdom
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ian's Discussions
Daywalker - is it 'blind''?
Started this discussion. Last reply by ian Jun 26. 4 Replies 1 Like
I should have done this ages ago. Daywalker doesn't make spores when exposed to day light. We know physarum requires daylight exposure to spore so - Is Daywalker actually 'blind' or is something else…Continue
Spores now available!
Started Jun 21 0 Replies 1 Like
I've managed to build up a good stock of spores from some of my strains ( loads of them seem to be unable to spore ), if anyone wants some yell. Pretty sure one of the lines is carrying sporulation…Continue
Chromatography
Started this discussion. Last reply by ian Jun 21. 2 Replies 0 Likes
I wondered if the bright orange physarum have different pigments from their paler siblings, so I mashed a load into alcohol ( 80% isopropanol ), filtered out the solids, and ran the residue on paper…Continue
Contamination tolerance assay
Started this discussion. Last reply by ian Jun 21. 7 Replies 2 Likes
Otherwise known as the boredom assay. I suspect some of the slime strains…Continue
ian's Page
Latest Activity
"Container rotation is important, old food is usually where problems start . I also wouldn't keep a culture on the go for more than a week or so - contamination builds up and starts getting transferred with slime. You can buy some time by making…"
"An suggestions? - accurate measurement of light isn't practical. Set of ND filters and a lamp though...."
"Hi
When they're plasmodia they're definitely digesting the oats directly - you can see particles of oat in the endoplasm, starch grains are obvious in endocytotic vacuoles under EM and you just don't see enveloped bacteria. Cooked…"
"Makes me think I need to come up with some sort of photophobia measuring system"
Daywalker - is it 'blind''?
I should have done this ages ago. Daywalker doesn't make spores when exposed to day light. We know physarum requires daylight exposure to spore so - Is Daywalker actually 'blind' or is something else faulty I ran out a culture onto fresh sugar ( construction ) paper, part covered it and hit it with a spotlampFive minutes and it's shifting. half an hour and it's all hiding. Daywalker can 'see'. …See More
"Hello Ian, I received a wonderful surprise in the mail today, three physarums...! May thanks, I will give them a good home and pass some along if I can get them to reproduce, many thanks Paul"
"Plain oats is the lower image - rampant pin mould which makes me think the stench might be piggybacking on the slime.
I like the idea of letting it start to rot but this assay is a pain, I wonder, If I made a long row of oat flakes, …"
"A control plate of oats without spores might be a useful comparator too.
In terms of breeding it makes me think of those plates for drug resistant bacteria testing. Start off with a slightly mouldy tray of oats, place spore in center, keep strains…"
"The split tail's just smiling from the out of practice application of stuff to the paper but it was that sample because it had the brightest spots. I'm wondering about tlc - I have a load of ultra fine pumice and good quality plaster…"
"Pretty much, the ideal would be to time lapse it but the camera's running 24/7 as it is and I couldn't film all the plates. It's possible to tell by appearance which blobs have been digested and abandoned and which went down with…"
Profile Information
- Name
- hardboiledparrot
- What is your interest in slime moulds? (we need to know you're not a bot or spamster)
- I'm a professional microscopist and amateur time lapse filmer. I'm looking forward to combining both disciplines with these fascinating organisms
- Academic Institution (if applicable)
- warwick
ian's Photos
ian's Videos
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Slime mould food choices
Added by ian 0 Comments 1 Like
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Wounded
Added by ian 0 Comments 1 Like
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Comment Wall (6 comments)
- At 15:36 on October 10, 2019,
Sean said…
- Hello! Thank you for the warm welcome! I’m excited to get working with some slime mould. Just spent the day hunting/photographing some in Epping forest but pretty sure I got 95% mushrooms. Any chance I could send you some pictures of what I think are slime mould spore capsules for your opinion?
- At 21:03 on January 16, 2018,
Oh that would be amazing. I was looking at ordering it from the US. Is there any issue with getting it through customs?
- At 16:05 on October 27, 2015,
Marijn Roelvink said…
- We received the Physarum today, thanks a lot!
- At 12:19 on October 14, 2015,
- Hi Ian, thank you for wanting to send the Physarum, I was just wondering if you could tell me when they will arrive, it'll help a lot with our planning :)
- At 10:37 on February 10, 2015,
- I received my samples today: thanks a lot!
- At 8:10 on February 3, 2015,
Sent you a pm with my address; thanks again!
Ian's Blog
Raising from Spores - Zero Tech Method
Posted on April 11, 2017 at 13:30 0 Comments 1 Like
I've been looking for a way to rear physarum from spores without resorting to bacterial lawns and needing autoclaves etc.
I've only done a couple of trials but this method seems to work ok, it does require a bit of patience.
I used petri dishes and filter paper but any container and a bit of tissue should work.
The idea is to let the food go off producing bacteria for the amoebal phase to feed off then slowly dry them out so they get persuaded to form…
ContinueBig bang, big disappointment :)
Posted on March 16, 2016 at 17:04 0 Comments 1 Like
Four weeks of crazy work, turning the spare room into a culture lab and time lapse studio I made enough culture for two thousand people and I should be there with my friends and colleagues on the stand inspiring the next generation of scientists, slime fans and eccentrics.
Unfortunately I'm stuck on a hospital ward with fifty stitches in my neck waiting until I'm allowed home. So it goes I suppose but damn I was looking forward to the Big Bang Fair, I couldn't even bring a slime…
ContinuePlotting and planning....
Posted on June 2, 2015 at 11:31 0 Comments 1 Like
Getting involved with several schools in my area running STEM club activities - I'm trying to design a six week course on our dear sticky friend that'll be adaptable to ages 12-17. Looks like it'll be fun ( and a lot of work ). My own cultures have been dormant for a while aside from raising the odd batch but I should start playing again soon.
Raising slime again..
Posted on May 18, 2015 at 14:17 0 Comments 1 Like
Blimey it's been a while, we've got the finals lab projects for the students at work on at the moment so I'm not getting time to play. I've got a session with 95 school kids booked in in June so I'm raising as much slime as I can cope with in preparation for that.
I'm planning on getting them to make Plasticine mazes in petri dishes for their cultures so they've something to take home.
I've also got these intriguing mycena cholorophos spores ( a glowing mushroom ),…
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