The Blob...

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Ken Ramos
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The Blob...

Post by Ken Ramos »

was a scarry movie for the time that it appeared on the sliver screen. However sometimes science fiction and reality share the same dimension, as Jules Vern, among others, showed us. :wink:

I post this photograph here because it has more scientific interest than photographic and what you see is something that most of us take for granted as being microscopic in size normally and in a sense one would be correct in so doing. However this photograph only covers about three inches of the entire once living, or may well still be 8-[ , organism.

Image

It is the dried remains of a Plasmodium. You have probably read or seen my posts where I have mentioned these organisms before. A plasmodium is the fusion of two amoebae, which have reproduced and grown in size to create what one could call a giant multinucleate amoeba. This particular specimen was found on a long and decaying tree limb. How long you may ask? About four feet in length, maybe a little more but so was the Plasmodium! They have been known to grow in size to cover several square feet and produce a bit of a stir in the populated neighborhoods where they have occured. They can also get into your house too! They feed by surrounding their prey, just like a normal amoeba, with their "myxopodia" vice "pseudopodia" and releasing digestive enzymes. This is known as phagocytosis. So if you feel some night, something hugging you softly or maybe even tightly, who knows; it may not be the mister.... or the misses. :lol:

Ever seen the "Creep Show, the first one?" :D
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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

I've watched a lot of corny movies in my day, but I don't think I've ever seen "Beware the Blob!" (that was the title, right?). I suspect I haven't missed too much!

Formless monsters that devour anything they touch seem to be a staple of human imagination. These things are pretty creepy. I've read about them, but never knowingly seen one.
Mike Broderick
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Post by nzmacro »

So how come I feel itchy all of a sudden :D. Is this like a type of Lichen Ken ???. Spreading at a slow rate until it covers the entire tree ???

Interesting reading here Ken. Spooky, but interesting M8t :D

Danny.

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Mike wrote:
These things are pretty creepy. I've read about them, but never knowingly seen one.
When I think back, even to my younger days, I have seen them hundreds of times and did not know what they were. I just wrote them off as a fungus of some sort. More than likely you may have seen them too. :D


Danny asked:
Is this like a type of Lichen Ken ???. Spreading at a slow rate until it covers the entire tree ???
Not exactly a lichen Danny but it is classed as a fungus when mature. It leads a double life, beginning as an animal and dying as a fungus. This thing may well still be alive. Plasmodiums can hibernate when conditons become adverse. They are quite harmless but can give one a scare if they invade your home. They are slimy and can be picked up and moved outside. They are nothing more than a mass of living, moving, feeding, blobs of protoplasm. Much like a regular microscopic ameoba. But they produce some beautiful fruiting bodies. :D
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nzmacro
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Post by nzmacro »

Amazing. Thanks Ken :D

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

This may be of some interest. :D

Dallas, Texas 1973

The residents in a suburb of this city awoke to find some rather large, conspicuous, pulsating yellow blobs covering their front lawns. This caused virtual panic among the local inhabitants. The blobs broke apart when blasted with water but the pieces continued to crawl about and increase in size. 8-[

The locals then assumed that they were indestructable aliens from outer space or at the very least, mutant bacteria that could take over the world. Eventually however, the blobs were identified as Fuligo septica. A very large, bright yellow, pulsating mass of protoplasm known as a "plasmodium!" :o

Ref: Myxomycetes, A Handbook of Slime Molds by Steven L. Stephenson and Henry Stempen Copyright 1994, Timber Press Portland, Oregon
Myxomycete-Human Relationships, pg. 67

This is a fantastic book for those interested in taking up the study of Myxomycetes or Plasmodial Slime Molds. A most valuable source of reference. :D
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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

Why wasn't I there to get a few shots, d@mmit! :lol:
Mike Broderick
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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Mike replied:
Why wasn't I there to get a few shots, d@mmit! :lol:
Yeah, really :?: I would have liked to have seen those myself. :D
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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

You may recognize them the next time you see them by this image. This is a photo of a once live specimen from my archives. It lived for about a month or so until it died. :(

Image
Plasmodium of Myxomycete on a piece of decaying wood, actual size approx. 30mm The top speed of these things is about one inch per hour. :o
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Kenneth Ramos
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Kens Microscopy
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