GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Niloofar Ghanavati/References

Projekt

                                                                  PHYSARUM is
                                                  the singular aroma of a cool damp forest 
                                                      the vibrant yellow of a saucy lemon
                                             the relentless rhythyms of nature of multiple cycles
                                                     the storehouse of countless answers
                                                  the tantalizing challenge that lures us on

Physarum Polycephalum Literature

This Blog was established to provide a convenient point of connection for all those who are interested in Physarum polycephalum and related organisms. It is meant to serve not only the interests of scientists who are doing 'cutting edge' research using one of these remarkable biological systems but also the general public and young scientists who are deciding what research path(s) to pursue.

The amount of work done - and published - on any model biological system is vast. We do not attempt here to list all publications on Physarum and related species. [Modern search engines allow anyone with a computer and internet access to find more relevant publications than most can assimilate.] Instead, this section is a listing of books, major review articles, and monographs that visitors to this Blog may find useful. If anyone in the Physarum community is aware of such source material that I have not listed, please contact the Author and provide the relevant information.

University of Leicester: Physarum Groups Theses

Name	Degree	Date	Title	LRA handle
Poulter, Russell	PhD	1969	Senescence in the Myxomycete Physarum Polycephalum	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/9814
Wheals, Alan	PhD	1971	Mutants affecting plasmodium formation in a homothallic strain of Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34369
Cooke, David J.	PhD	1974	Studies on the Colonia isolate of Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34311
Sudbery, Peter	PhD	1974	Studies on the control of mitosis in the plasmodium of physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34477
Hall, Leonard	PhD	1975	Co-ordination of macromolecular synthesis in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35241
Plaut, Barbara	PhD	1975	Co-ordination of macromolecular synthesis in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35132
Anderson, Roger	PhD	1976	Analysis of the amoebal-plasmodial transition in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35432
Burland, Timothy	PhD	1978	Temperature-sensitive mutants of Physarum polycephalum: A search for cell cycle mutants.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34386
Cunningham, William David	PhD	1979	DNA synthesis in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35199
Blindt, Adrian	PhD	1987	Changes in cellular organisation during apogamic development in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34382
Sweeney, Glen	PhD	1987	Differential gene expression in Physarum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35166
Bailey, Juliet	PhD	1989	Analysis of cellular events during plasmodium development in Physarum Polycephalum	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35072
Murray, Michael	PhD	1990	The genetic analysis of mlpA, a gene encoding a myosin-like protein in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34453
Mellersh, Cathryn	PhD	1991	The study of expression of a plasmodial-specific gene in Physarum polycephalum.	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34447
Cook, Lynnette J.	PhD	2000	Studies of genes showing differential expression during plasmodium development in Physarum polycephalum	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30324
Swanston, Emma	PhD	2000	A study of developmentally regulated genes in Physarum polycephalum	http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30332

Physarum "Intelligence"?

A growing number of scientists are rethinking the question of intelligence. Defined by many as "purposeful action", intelligence is being recognized in - or at least suggested to be manifested by - various animals and even plants. Not to be left out, the community of scientists studying Physarum has reported on "intelligent" behavior by the true slime mold. Because this literature is so new (and somewhat controversial), we will be very selective in our coverage of such publications. But the fact is that a large number of people are attracted to Physarum by this literature and we as a community ought to acknowledge that growing interest, even if those of us who are 'rigorous scientists' feel obliged to treat the published findings (or the interpretation of those facts) with some skepticism.

Another reason for including some material in this section is that the interest in 'intelligence' has sparked the attention of some very gifted communicators and they are actually blurring the 'line' between reporting facts in conventional ways, with publicizing slime mold in a fashion that is almost media coverage. So, in the same sense that we often give consideration to reports that have some errors - because they also contain a great deal of 'truth' - we chose not to reject such coverage but to 'cover' it ourselves because we want to attract attention to our 'favorite' model system, even if we may be forced to explain what is fact and what is 'fancy'.

Main Concept

This section is devoted to those non-scientists (or fledgling scientists) who are interested in simple methods for culturing Physarum. Some of the documentation included here is not easily referenced, having come from websites that are no longer available, or having been obtained via web-surfing (e.g. Google) that yielded material in one search but not another. Wherever possible I have included, in the document, the URL from which it was obtained and/or an acknowledgment of the source. I apologize for any inadvertent infringement on copyright or "intellectual property" but ask forgiveness since the sole purpose of this section is to encourage the non-expert - especially young students - to give it a try and HAVE SOME FUN.