List two reasons illustrating why slime moulds are so mind-blowingly cool

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Slime moulds are considered to be 'mindblowingly cool' for a few reasons. First off, they can exist as a single cell that is free-floating. Slime moulds can meet together and then dissolve membranes that both separate and bind together in a single membrane. Once these moulds are set in a new environment, they disperse into multiple directions. While spreading out, they assess the lay out of the land. If they discover something that's good for them, then they will support the pathway. An example of this could be finding food. On the other hand, if they find something that they don't like, they will recoil. An example of this would be direct sunlight. To test this you could lay out something that slime mould likes, on a map, and they will connect the food with the shortest route. You could also add elements that they don't like, like salt, and they will figure out a way to avoid these areas. Slime moulds are able to recreate maps like these and even find the easiest ways to get out of the map. A second cool thought is that slime mould can keep track of time. For example, if one part of a slime mould has solved a maze and then it is added to another slime mould, that mould will finish the maze faster