Science

NNadir

(33,624 posts) Wed Feb 15, 2023, 06:17 PM Feb 2023

Some slime molds.

Creatures that don't conform. Lucy Jones, Emergence Magazine.

I was directed to this article by my Nature Briefing email feed this morning.

The article will probably appear at this link tomorrow.

8 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Some slime molds. (Original Post) NNadir Feb 2023 OP

Is that what they make Trump supporters out of? Clash City Rocker Feb 2023 #1

No. Unlike Trump supporters, they are beautiful and apparently essential to life in many ways. NNadir Feb 2023 #3

No, it's a lot smarter than they are. Exhaibit A: Warpy Feb 2023 #7

The Trump supporters are not as advanced on the evolutionary ladder. cstanleytech Feb 2023 #8

K&R Solly Mack Feb 2023 #2

They are a powerful group of organisms that cross lots of our normal classification boundaries. erronis Feb 2023 #4

Found this one in my back yard growing on wood mulch - Ocelot II Feb 2023 #5

I guess beauty is the eye of the beholder. Some other photos of the same species may be found here. NNadir Feb 2023 #6

Clash City Rocker

(3,403 posts)

1. Is that what they make Trump supporters out of?

Reply to NNadir (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2023, 06:26 PM

Feb 2023

NNadir

(33,624 posts)

3. No. Unlike Trump supporters, they are beautiful and apparently essential to life in many ways.

Reply to Clash City Rocker (Reply #1)

Wed Feb 15, 2023, 06:32 PM

Feb 2023

Warpy

(111,641 posts)

7. No, it's a lot smarter than they are. Exhaibit A:

Reply to Clash City Rocker (Reply #1)

Wed Feb 15, 2023, 07:03 PM

Feb 2023

&t=110s

cstanleytech

(26,416 posts)

8. The Trump supporters are not as advanced on the evolutionary ladder.

Reply to Clash City Rocker (Reply #1)

Thu Feb 16, 2023, 04:30 PM

Feb 2023

Solly Mack

(90,851 posts)

2. K&R

Reply to NNadir (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2023, 06:30 PM

Feb 2023

Beautiful.

erronis

(15,687 posts)

4. They are a powerful group of organisms that cross lots of our normal classification boundaries.

Reply to NNadir (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2023, 06:42 PM

Feb 2023

They can adjust from single-celled to multi-celled cooperative organisms and take a lot of forms.

One thing I didn't realize until just looking this up, they can also exhibit some characteristics of other animals including neural systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold#Similarity_to_Neural_Systems

I'm in awe of nature. I'll include the homo-sapiens in this collection, but no reason to raise them above any other organism, including the slime-molds (from whom we may have evolved - thanks grandparents!)