How to get a physarum culture

[ian]

So you want slime? 

I can give you slime. I'll post physarum to anyone anywhere free of charge. 

"Free?" you say, surely that's too good to be true? 

Indeed it is, I said free of charge, not actually free. This is the slime mould collective, lone oat flakes do not get visited by physarum fairy. You must prove your worth if you want to join and engage with the network. Assimilation doesn't hurt, we promise and you might like it. 

Tell us why you want the slime, what are your hopes and fears for slimekind? Where do you you see your slime in five years time?

A paragraph, a short story, maybe a few lines of verse, how about an expressive dance? We don't mind we just want you to communicate.

In return we will let you have your very own slime sent discreetly in a plain envelope - your friends and family need never know! 

[Sue Maris]

Hi, Just allowing my interest in slime moulds free rein. Attempting to keep a Fuligo septica alive on a decaying tree in our garden. I’m hoping to film it as comes together to form a large slime mould. Would love to have the opportunity to own a physarum so i can continue attempting to make films with in an environment that has more predictable lighting.

I’m an artist working in the highlands of Scotland. Not very good with poetry though. 

 

[Dr. Angela Wölfel]

Came for the blob, stayed for the hilariously witty writing ;)

[Karen Hennessey]

While developing my Transition year Biology modules last year I came across an Amazing Ted Talk on Slime Mould. I was not sure how my classes would respond as the other teachers were dissecting cool stuff like hearts and kidneys. When two of of my now 5th year pupils turned around to me last week on an ecology trip and asked if they could looking slime mould to grown. I realised that our discussions had indeed hit a cord!

I would like to see our research into this amazing organism develop into an integral part of my TY program and bring the amazing mould to the forefront!!

My Classroom needs some SLIME!!!!

[Kaysen]

Hello! Im a new member and fascinated by this little world. I'm currently doing a big paper on slime moulds this year for my interdisciplinary course about Information, Communication and Cognition", and would love to get some to grow at the same time! Hope you can help me out here - I would be very excited!! 

[Inga]

Hi Ian et al.

This is my second time writing this as last time it seemed to disappear into the void!
I’m a doctoral candidate of fine arts at the University of Auckland. I’m writing about abjection and speculative realism and somehow slime mould just seems to be the magic connection point between the two theories. The physical manifestation of what I'm researching. I usually make works with giant petri dishes and allow bacteria and mould to form the work. I'm really interested to see what would happen in my work with a slime mould culture. If it's interesting out will form the backbone of my practice-based doctorate. Please, thank you and I'm so excited to have discovered this collective!

[Christy King]

I'm a new member. No science background, just a nerd. Accidentally came across the slime mold subreddit and was fascinated, then watched a public TV clip about slime molds in the Pacific Northwest (of the USA). We live on a few acres with forest and so probably have plenty of slime mold out there somewhere, but I don't know how to find it yet. Also really looking forward to making mazes for my slime molds :)

[Patrick Barry]

Hi Ian,

First request of 2023 - would it be possible to have some daywalker?

[Silas]

Hello Ian i’m new to the slime mould collective but i have been fascinated by them since high school i have no science background or anything of the sort just a simple guy looking to grow a new best friend ;)

[Lydia]

Hi, I have always been fasinated by the oranagic shapes that molds and funguses create. I would like to keep a slime mold as insperation for art and crafts. They ways they manage to form soft, but such striking shapes is very visually pleasing for me. Also it is nice to have a living thing to care about that is a bit more interactive then a house plant without needing the grooming and vaccinations other pets require. 

[Ilvy Adams]

Hey! This message made my fingers itchy... I would love to get a physarum culture to nurture, give love, treats, and build a disinfected oat utopia for them. I would make them feel like the most loved being in the universe and life with them as if our heartbeats are one. In five years, I see a full grown physarum godzilla culture. Trained in lots of combat (art academy) and bigger, healthier and happier than ever before. Can you please send me some of this creature, so that I can make this pyhsarum feel great again and show their greatness to all of my fellow conspecifics

[Sarah Gracen]

I ordered slime mold from ebay or etsy or something like that a year ago and finally tried to wake it up last week. I got three slimes on paper and so far none of them have awakened. They just get smelly. (I have them in a plastic container with a damp paper towel and a boiled oat clump). I have one slime left to try and if it doesn't work i will be so irrevocably sad and I need more slimes imminently. Pls send help. I love these little yellow dudes. they must liveeeeee

slime molds are the coolest thingamadoodads ever to exist. in 5 years the entire space under my couch will be filled up with tupperwares full of slimes.

per your request, here is some slime verse:

my slime is quite yellow

it should not smell-o

on paper damp,

away from a lamp

my slime should grow

i do not know

what i should do

but get more slime new

please and thank you

[Katie]

Oh the places we could go, if we get the slime mould to grow…science abounds in multiple rounds of Earth, Social, Psychological, Biological, Behavioral…limited only by our own creativity…can we recreate the nativity? Perhaps that will be my dissertation topic…but oh there are so many places to go. Ok I seriously suck at poetry but I have so many questions and so many ideas for new dissertation topics now (really thought I had already nailed this down until I realized the unending potential and awesomeness of slime mould!). Plus…I need to fulfill my F•R•I•E•N•D•S group and I already have Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, and Ross. This would grow to be Joey and Chandler…et al.