What Happens When We Stress Out a Slime Mould?

Have you ever wondered how a slime mould handles stress? Scientists have found a unique way to study this. They looked at a type of slime mould called Physarum polycephalum, known for its ability to adapt to changes in its environment. Using two new techniques, they observed how the slime mould grows and changes its network of veins under different stressful conditions like lack of food or exposure to high and low levels of a hormone called epinephrine. One technique tracked the slime mould's growth over time, while the other looked closely at its veins to see how they changed in size and shape. By combining these methods, they could estimate the total volume of the slime mould's network and see how it adapts to stress. Interestingly, when the slime mould was starved, its network volume decreased, showing it was struggling. But when exposed to different levels of epinephrine, its network volume stayed more similar to when things were normal. They also found that the complexity of the slime mould's network changed over time in response to stress, becoming simpler when things were tough. These new methods give us a better way to understand how slime moulds deal with stress and could help us design better networks in the future, like those used in bioengineering.