slime mold

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slime mold

1. Any of various eukaryotic organisms of the class Dictyostelia that exist as free-living amoeboid cells in the soil and under certain conditions aggregate into a mass that develops into a stalked sporangium. Also called cellular slime mold.

2. Any of various eukaryotic organisms of the class Myxogastria (formerly Myxomycetes) that develop from amoeboid cells into a large multinucleate plasmodium that produces stalked sporangia. Also called myxomycete, plasmodial slime mold.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

slime′ mold`

any of various funguslike organisms belonging to the phylum Myxomycota of the kingdom Protista, characterized by a somatic ameboid phase and a streaming phase in which the separate organisms merge and produce spore-bearing fruiting bodies. Also called myxomycete.

[1875–80]

slime mold

Any of various primitive organisms that exist in both unicellular and multicellular stages and are found on decaying plant matter. Slime molds are classified as protists. ♦ Cellular slime molds live as single, amoeba-like cells moving about feeding on bacteria. When food becomes scarce, they combine into large colonies that develop into multicellular, spore-producing structures. ♦ Plasmodial slime molds exist as a mass of amoeba-like protoplasm (called a plasmodium) that contains many nuclei within a single cell membrane. The slimy masses move along ingesting bacteria and yeast. When food grows scarce, they stop moving and grow multicellular, spore-producing stalks.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

slime mold - a naked mass of protoplasm having characteristics of both plants and animals; sometimes classified as protoctists

slime mould

acellular slime mold, myxomycete, plasmodial slime mold, true slime mold - a slime mold of the class Myxomycetes

cellular slime mold - differing from true slime molds in being cellular and nucleate throughout the life cycle

fungus - an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia

References in periodicals archive ?

It includes genera listed with their type species and grammatical gender; references to subsequent taxonomic and nomenclatural acts, records, and other relevant information; distribution by country; and an overview of fungus and slime mold hosts.

Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae

In 2015, Airbus began employing biologically inspired algorithms, inspired by the growth patterns of slime mold colonies and bones, to 3D print lightweight aircraft components.

Biomimicry and engineering

It is narrated by actor Forest Whitaker, whose warm, velveteen voice can make even a segment on slime mold seem utterly fascinating.

Science in motion; EcoTarium partners with National Geographic for films, other programs

Recently, a slime mold called Physarum polycephalum has attracted many investigators [22-25].

A bio-inspired method for the constrained shortest path problem

It is covered in slime mold, it has aerial roots hanging from the ceiling, cave creatures called troglobites can often be found, and most importantly, our group is usually the only one in the cave.

Dark and silent

Now, growing numbers of scientists are hard at work developing computer programs that replicate the way slime mold "thinks." True, slime molds are masses of single-cell organisms without a brain or eyes, but they demonstrate amazing abilities to engage in organized behaviors, carry out coordinated movements and especially, to find their way through mazes and over obstacles to locate food sources.

Taking lessons from slime mold

It may conjure up images of Nickelodeon's celebrity slimings or the news last spring that some school lunch meats were filled with a type of "pink slime." But physarum polycephalum--a slime mold that lives in forests around the world--is actually pretty smart.

Really smart slime

* Quaker old-fashioned oats, uncooked (these do not need to be sterilized; the slime mold will eat the bacteria on them)

Caging the blob: using a slime mold to teach concepts about barriers that constrain the movement of organisms

If You Give a Slime Mold a Sedative doesn't sound like a best-selling children's book, but a recent study found that Physarum polycephalum actually prefers herbal sedatives and other dried plants to honey or oats.

How bizarre

He weaves together the tales of seminal research conducted on two systems in nature that, at first glance, would seem to have little to do with human beings: slime mold and ant colonies.

Ants, NATS, and swarm logic

Dictyostelium polycephalum n.sp.: a new cellular slime mold with coremiform fructification.

Dictyostelium polycephalum infection of human cornea

What can engineers learn from the lowly slime mold?

Slimy networks

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