GMU:Different Worlds/Friedrich Wilhelm Pittelkow

Interesting Things

Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design

Project Idea

A social network for microorganisms

We use technology to connect each other. In the last years social media platforms emerged and gained popularity. Is the use of technology limited to humans or is it possible to develop and apply such a network to different worlds.

The main approach would be to set one culture of a microorganism and connect it to other microorganisms though technology.

One organism functions as an influencer that takes over control over the lives of other organisms.

There may be a feedback loop. For example if the organisms that get influenced give a positive feedback (e.g. food supply) to the organism that influences them.

Technical solutions

The position and or growing of the physarum can be detected by light sensors underneath the dish. This could be even designed as a maze build out of transparent tubing. To get stable and reliable readings, it is necessary to have a constant lightsource above. The data generated by the sensors gets processed by a microcontroller or by using simple electronics.

Things I think about

Is there a way to establish a communication between two quite different organisms? Can technology be used to "talk" or interact with microorganisms and me or humans?

I'm trying to build a capacitor with the organism. A capacitor consists of two conductors wich stores different charges. They are seperated by a medium. Which is typicly a vacuum or an isolator. In this case a organic and growing organism. Chances in that medium change the characteristic of the capacitor. Which could be data that can be read.

22/4/2021

My desk is now a co-working space. I work and organisms are growing. Two of three organisms are growing very well and fast. About 15mm to 20mm.

The third organism is growing slower.

Every once in a while I check the dishes and look at the organisms. It's exiting to see them growing. Things are happening. Right before my eyes, that's nice.

23/4/2021

There is a white mold growing in one of the dishes. I`ll seperate the mold to a new dish. And sterelised everthing that was in contact.

24/4/2021

I've prepared new dishes and moved/divided the organisms. I also gave them new flakes.

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--- from Lingfei

Very interesting idea to observe the interaction between microorganisms. This reminds me of an experiment. The experimenter injured another plant in front of a pot of plants, and the uninjured plant would have obvious electric waves when the injure happened.

But how to distinguish between positive and negative effects? (e.g. food is positiv)

In what form are these two interacting physarum related to each other? Growing in the same container?

How to avoid interference from other factors during this period?

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I did not understand the role of light sensor. Is it used to control the growth direction of physarum?

How to observe the influence of one on the other?

How to record?