Paris zoo unveils the "blob", an organism with no brain but 720 sexes

[Rassilon]

your mum joke

 

[DrewFu]

Eh, this wasn't as cool as I had hoped.

 

[zma1013]

This is just ripping off Stranger Things Season 3.

 

[NateDrake]

"It behaves very surprisingly for something that looks like a mushroom (...) it has the behavior of an animal, it is able to learn."

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[Halbrand]

The blob is just the yellow part right?

 

[DeathPeak]

I'm terrified! This will wipe us out for sure.

 

[Catilio]

how do they even differentiate 700+ sexes?

 

[Dogzillaboot]

Ooohhhh I thought the entire thing was the blob. It's just the yellow fungus on the two pieces of tree bark. That shit is so neat regardless!

 

[Deleted member 4367]

Is this a meme? Nothing about this makes sense. Viral halloween thing? Major scientific discovery, no mention of the origin, and it's at a fuckin zoo?

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It's not new.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physarum_polycephalum

 

[L Thammy]

This is cool. I've been wanting to see weirder things showcased in zoos.

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I could help with that. Where do you go to be an exhibit

 

[Mona]

The picture from Wikipedia is quite something.

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ive seen this shit before in invasion of the body snatchers

 

[The Living Tribunal]

The little guy has seen more action than all of gaming side combined.

 

[Distantmantra]

The blob is just the yellow part right?

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Yes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physarum_polycephalum

It's not a new organism or anything. The article is so odd.

 

[Soundchaser]

the fuck is it learning?

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New sexes, probably.

 

[MazeHaze]

It's not new.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physarum_polycephalum

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So why is it "unveiled". This whole thing is fucking stupid. "Paris Zoo unveils slime mold that has been studied and researched for decades already"

 

[geomon]

Looks like it was left in the fridge for too long.

 

[FeliciaFelix]

Nuke from orbit, its the only way we make sure.

 

[Poppy]

i love blob

take my brain

 

[NateDrake]

is it the yellow stuff on top of the ribs?

edit:

the fuck is it learning?

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Everything.

In a 2010 paper, oatflakes were dispersed to represent Tokyo and 36 surrounding towns.[5][6] P. polycephalum created a network similar to the existing train system, and "with comparable efficiency, fault tolerance, and cost". Similar results have been shown based on road networks in the United Kingdom[7] and the Iberian peninsula (i.e., Spain and Portugal).[8] Some researchers claim that P. polycephalum is even able to solve the NP-hard Steiner minimum tree problem.[9]

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[Halbrand]

I want it as a pet

 

[Mona]

Ben Shapiro right now:

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i keep watching this on loop like 30 times, and ive seen scanners

 

[Capra]

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[mugwhump]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ion=true&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter

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Looks like eggs and bacon lol.

I have no idea what they mean by 720 sexes or learning. This sounds a bit sensationalized tbh.

 

[Morrigan]

Is this a meme? Nothing about this makes sense. Viral halloween thing? Major scientific discovery, no mention of the origin, and it's at a fuckin zoo?

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It's not a new thing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physarum_polycephalum

Edit: beaten like 720 sexes

 

[formasymphonic]

unicellular but 720 sexes?

BiologyEra help me out with this pls

 

[Deleted member 11008]

Ok. Who let Samus kill all the Metroid?

 

[TylersProphecy]

I read the article but it doesnt really outline what it means by "learning".

What did it learn?

 

[hombremalo]

Had it in 97, cured with penicillin

 

[Strike]

̶
B̶e̶n̶ ̶S̶h̶a̶p̶i̶r̶o̶ Conservatives right now:

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Fixed.

 

[Bear]

Why the shit would they not release video alongside this? So many questions.

 

[Pet]

What the fuck?

What is going on?

Is this performative art?


I have so many questions.

edit: Physarum polycephalum is the scientific name.

Is this a meme? Nothing about this makes sense. Viral halloween thing? Major scientific discovery, no mention of the origin, and it's at a fuckin zoo?

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^

 

[J-Tier]

I could help with that. Where do you go to be an exhibit

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It doesnt pay well to be an exhibit, unfortunately.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

But what does it taste like?

 

[I am a Bird]

We should lauch it into small town america and see what it does

 

[cdm00]

This some Swarm/Grub type shit

 

[Commedieu]

Everything.

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pfft, i can do that.

id do anything for oatflakes.

 

[L Thammy]

unicellular but 720 sexes?

BiologyEra help me out with this pls

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I'm assuming it has to do with the gametes somehow? Like, the terms male and female are used in biology entirely based on the smaller one being the sperm and the larger one being the ovum, right?

 

[SpitztheGreat]

Nothing about this seems natural or like a good idea. Honestly, if you told me this was alien life I could believe it.

 

[chandoog]

Naw you can't fool me... that's roasted chicken.

 

[Absent Uncle]

From Wikipedia:
Even though complex computations using Physarum as a substrate are currently not possible, researchers have successfully used the organism's reaction to its environment in a USB sensor[20] and to control a robot.

 

[Gernau Morat Gurgeh]

I'm pretty sure I met these in Sunless Sea

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I so a documentary on this years ago:

 

[UnpopularBlargh]

Verge did a video on this not that long ago:

 

[Malverde]

Fantasy Flight marketing the new Arkham Horror scenario?

 

[thebeeks]

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[Bookkoo]

We've had a good run guys

 

[CaptainKashup]

In a 2010 paper, oatflakes were dispersed to represent Tokyo and 36 surrounding towns.[5][6] P. polycephalum created a network similar to the existing train system, and "with comparable efficiency, fault tolerance, and cost". Similar results have been shown based on road networks in the United Kingdom[7] and the Iberian peninsula (i.e., Spain and Portugal).[8] Some researchers claim that P. polycephalum is even able to solve the NP-hard Steiner minimum tree problem.[9]

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That's.. really creepy. So it's like some kind of living brain matter that can do anything ?

 

[chadskin]

Verge did a video on this not that long ago:

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The maze part was hella cool to watch (@2:40).

 

[Grym]

bet it would be a tasty pizza topping

 

[Joe]

Slime molds are super cool. Also, the part of their body that produces spores is called a Sporange, which rhymes with orange. So that's cool, too.