Slime
Slime mold or slime mould is an informal name given to several kinds of unrelated eukaryotic organisms with a life cycle that includes a free-living single-celled stage and the formation of spores. Spores are often produced in macroscopic multicellular or multinucleate fruiting bodies which may be formed through aggregation or fusion.[1] Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi but are no longer considered part of that kingdom.[2] Although not forming a single monophyletic clade, they are grouped within the paraphyletic group Protista.
slime
More than 900 species of slime mold occur globally. Their common name refers to part of some of these organisms' life cycles where they can appear as gelatinous "slime". This is mostly seen with the Myxogastria, which are the only macroscopic slime molds.[3] Most slime molds are smaller than a few centimetres, but some species may reach sizes up to several square metres and masses up to 20 kilograms.[4][5][6]
They feed on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material. They contribute to the decomposition of dead vegetation, and feed on bacteria and fungi. For this reason, slime molds are usually found in soil, lawns, and on the forest floor, commonly on deciduous logs. In tropical areas they are also common on inflorescences and fruits, and in aerial situations (e.g., in the canopy of trees). In urban areas, they are found on mulch or in the leaf mold in rain gutters, and also grow in air conditioners, especially when the drain is blocked.
The most commonly encountered are the Myxogastria. A common slime mold that forms tiny brown tufts on rotting logs is Stemonitis. Another form, which lives in rotting logs and is often used in research, is Physarum polycephalum. In logs, it has the appearance of a slimy web-work of yellow threads, up to a few feet in size. Fuligo forms yellow crusts in mulch.
Many slime molds, mainly the "cellular" slime molds, do not spend most of their time in this state. When food is abundant, these slime molds exist as single-celled organisms. When food is in short supply, many of these single-celled organisms will congregate and start moving as a single body. In this state they are sensitive to airborne chemicals and can detect food sources. They can readily change the shape and function of parts, and may form stalks that produce fruiting bodies, releasing countless spores, light enough to be carried on the wind or hitch a ride on passing animals.[10]
Dictyostelium discoideum is another species of slime mold that has many different mating types. When this organism has entered the stage of reproduction, it releases an attractant, called acrasin. Acrasin is made up of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cyclic AMP. Cyclic AMP is crucial in passing hormone signals between reproductive cells.[11] When it comes time for the cells to fuse, Dictyostelium discoideum has mating types of its own that dictate which cells are compatible with each other. A scientific study demonstrated the compatibility of eleven mating types of Dictyostelium discoideum by monitoring the formation of macrocysts, concluding that cell contact between the compatible mating types needs to occur before macrocysts can form.[12]
Plasmodial slime molds begin life as amoeba-like cells. These unicellular amoebae are commonly haploid and feed on bacteria. These amoebae can mate if they encounter the correct mating type and form zygotes that then grow into plasmodia. These contain many nuclei without cell membranes between them, and can grow to meters in size. The species Fuligo septica is often seen as a slimy yellow network in and on rotting logs. The amoebae and the plasmodia engulf microorganisms.[13] The plasmodium grows into an interconnected network of protoplasmic strands.[14]
Slime molds share some similarities with neural systems in animals.[19] The membranes of both slime molds and neural cells contains receptor sites, which alter electrical properties of the membrane when it is bound.[20] Therefore, some studies on the early evolution of animal neural systems are inspired by slime molds.[21][22][23]
The filamentary structure of slime molds such as P. polycephalum forming a network to food sources is similar to the large scale galaxy filament structure of the universe. This observation has led astronomers to use simulations based on the behaviour of slime molds to inform their search for dark matter.[31][32]
The chemicals that aggregate slime molds are called acrasins. The first acrasin to be discovered was cAMP in Dictyostelium discoideum. During the aggregation phase of their life cycle, Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae communicate with each other by traveling waves of cAMP.[33][34][35] There is an amplification of cAMP when they aggregate.[36] In 2019, research done by University of Tokyo found that while pre-stalk cells move toward cAMP, pre-spore cells ignored cAMP.[37]
Have you tried making fluffy slime yet? This one is a must try! The texture is so fun to play with. Kids will love stretching and squishing this fluffy slime. And we have to say, we think this is the best fluffy slime recipe you will try.
Safety Tips: Adults only should make the slime and handle all chemicals. Do not substitute any ingredients in our slime recipes. If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves while playing with the slime. Always wash hands before and after use. If you notice any skin irritation discontinue use immediately. Slime is a science experiment and should be made and played with in moderation. See the bottom of the post for more safety precautions before making the slime.
**Important: your brand of contact lens solution must have boric acid and sodium borate in the ingredient list. This is what interacts with the glue to form the slime. If slime does not form it is typically due to the contact lens solution not having these ingredients. Check your label and see the recommended brands above in our ingredient list.
Slimes spawn in the Overworld in specific "slime chunks" below layer 40, regardless of light levels. They can also spawn in swamp biomes between layers 51 and 69 (inclusive) in light levels of 7 or less, with these layers tending to be near the surface. Slimes spawn regardless of weather conditions.
Like most other hostile mobs, slimes do not spawn within 24 blocks (spherical) of any player, despawn over time if no player is within 32 blocks, and despawn instantly if no player is within the despawn radius (128 blocks in Java Edition, 44 to 128 blocks in Bedrock Edition depending on simulation distance[verify]).
A slime needs roughly a 32.1x3 free space to spawn. The area in which the slime spawns must be clear of solid or liquid obstructions. When a slime attempts to spawn, the game checks for the space requirement of a large slime, and the size is determined later. Therefore, since large slimes are slightly taller than 2 blocks, no slimes, regardless of size, are able to spawn at all in 2-block-high areas. Also, since large slimes are slightly wider than 2 blocks, and mobs spawn at the center of a block, having any block within the 32.1x3 area, even as thin as a glass pane, can prevent a slime of any size from spawning.
In swamps and mangrove swamps, slimes may spawn at night between the heights of 51 and 69 (inclusive) when the provided light level is 7 or less. They spawn most often on a full moon, and never on a new moon.
That is, using the chunk coordinates to help generate a seed, a random number between 0 and 9 inclusive is generated. If that number is 0, the chunk can spawn slimes. To convert world coordinates to chunk coordinates, divide by 16 and round down. Note that xPosition, and zPosition are 32-bit integers (ints).
The slime chunk algorithm in Bedrock Edition is different from in Java Edition. The algorithm doesn't depend on the world seed, thus the chunks that slimes can naturally spawn in inhabit the same coordinates for every world.[2]
If a slime's size is 1, it drops 0-2 slimeballs unless killed by a frog. This can be increased by 1 per level of Looting, for a maximum of 5 slimeballs. When killed by a frog, it always drops 1 slimeball.
Slimes also drop experience points equal to their size: 4 for large slimes, 2 for medium slimes, or 1 for small slimes. Because slimes split into 2-4 smaller slimes when they die, a player can earn a possible maximum of 28 experience points from killing one large slime and all the slimes that split from it.
A slime's maximum health is equal to its size squared, and its dimensions are 0.51 blocks times its size in each dimension. When a slime attacks, it deals damage equal to its size, except for size 1 (smallest) slimes, which do no damage, and do not prevent sleeping. Because small slimes still have a hostile AI, they continuously attack the player.
A slime's jump distance also depends on its size; a slime jumps a distance slightly farther than its length. When landing, a number (8 times the slime's size) of slime particles appear. Slimes will always, regardless of size, jump 1 block high.
When a slime larger than 1 dies, it spawns 2-4 new slimes equivalent to its size divided by 2, rounding down. A slime that was named with a name tag produces smaller slimes with the same name when it dies.
Slimes attack in two ways. Either they bounce slowly at the player, or they "charge" to jump at the player from a distance. The charging animation resembles the slime becoming almost flat to the ground. If there is an obstacle in the way, the charge jump will cause them to bounce off the object (sometimes multiple times if they're in a tight spot). Occasionally slimes will enter a state of rage after being attacked, causing them to move significantly faster and have red eyes.
When a slime is hit, it will be knocked back a short distance, out of range of melee weapons. The best strategy to kill slimes is to quickly move into striking distance to prevent their charge attack and corner them against a wall or, ideally, in a corner (of walls, rocks, or both). Both the charged and regular attacks may be avoided by using a defensive move (such as the block of the regular sword). Timing a block with a sword well can allow the player to get a decent amount of damage. Otherwise, offense is the best defense. 041b061a72