Puddles of Goo? Brainless Slime Molds Have Memories

The yellow slime mold leaves a thick mat of translucent slime (left on the agar plate) behind it as it moves, ooze that it later avoids. Now researchers have found the goo uses the gel trail as a kind of memory to navigate. 

CREDIT: Image courtesy of Audrey Dussutour                                           

Scientists have found that just because an organism does not have a brain, does not mean that it cannot remember things. Slime molds, which were once considered fungus and later put into the protists classification, have been investigated in order  to see if they truly do have memories. Although it may not be the same definition of intelligence we think of inside of the human brain such as having the ability to create, store, and recall memories, this slime mold uses a different technique in order to remember where it has been. Slime molds do not have brains or even neurons; however, who needs either of those when you have ooze to lie down and retrace your steps.

This type of slime mold, also known as Physarum polycephalum, “leaves a thick mat of translucent slime behind it as it moves” (Choi). The slime mold can detect it’s own trail and use this as form of memory. It is almost like allowing itself “to communicate with it’s future self” (Choi). When the scientists tested this theory, slime mold that was able to detect it’s own trail reached the food placed in a maze 30% faster while slime that was blinded to their own trail took up to 10 times longer looking in places it had already visited. This was the first tested evidence that supported “a spatial memory system in a creature without a brain” (Choi).

Blog Post Author: Tyler Davis Section 124-26

Work Cited
Choi, Charles. "Puddles of Goo? Brainless Slime Molds Have Memories." LiveScience. N.p., 8 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/23797- brainless-slime-mold-memories.html>.