GMU:Different Worlds/Lingfei Liu

Direct or Gradual ?

Many experiments have proved that Polycephalum has the ability of learning e.g adopting different living situations. There are also some special ways between them to communicate. These make me impressed with this little wonderful creature. Is it possible to come up with an experiment that allows these little creatures to perform their talents?

My idea

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Inspiration

Between Physarum and the food, scientists built a bridge containing some salt which Physarum doesn't like. But in order to get food, the slime crossed the salt bridge. After that, the scientist put the slime into hibernation. After resuscitation, it can still cross over the salt bridge, and the speed is faster than the last time. So scientists think they have learning and memory functions.

Techinical solution

In the experiment, the slimes are split into two parts. One is fed with a normal 2% agar medium. In the other one's medium, the water with an appropriate amount of coffee will be replaced. In the beginning, the amount of coffee is small, allowing slimes to grow on it. After that, the amount of coffee will be increased after every time the slime adapts to the environment of the medium. Then let the slime that can grow on the coffee medium and the slime that have not lived on the coffee medium live together on the ordinary agar medium for a period of time. Finally, the slimes who have lived together for a period of time are raised in a coffee medium to observe whether they can accept the coffee environment.

The way I took Time-lapse videos:

Process

When raising the Physarum Polycephalum, many different cultivation environments have been tried. The coffin is one of the things they don't like coffee. What if coffee is added to their growth medium, will they adapt to such an environment?

My Physarum Polycephalum Keeping Diary