The CNRS on Wednesday launched a participatory science project open to 10,000 volunteers to carry out experiments on the blob, a unicellular organism "
out of the ordinary
" whose capacities fascinate biologists.
The goal is to see how this creature, neither animal, plant nor mushroom, which usually evolves in the undergrowth of temperate countries, could react to global warming.
Read also The world of blobs, these strange one-celled creatures, voracious and intelligent
The CNRS call, "
on an unprecedented scale
", comes after the launch, on October 12, of an educational experience in more than 4,500 schools, under the leadership of the National Center for Space Studies (CNES).
"
Raise your blob
" aims to compare the behavior of the organism on Earth and in zero gravity, aboard the International Space Station.
The CNRS is looking for 10,000 amateur scientists over 8 years old for an experiment that will last between a week and a month and "will
require about an hour of daily handling
," he said in a statement.
"
Behind the blob, the research
"
The selected apprentice researchers will be given a blob and a cousin species.
They will need to feed them, expose them to heat, and document their growth.
Different temperatures and exposure times will be tested to simulate heat waves.
Entitled “
Behind the blob, research
”, the project will be headed by Audrey Dussutour, CNRS biologist at the Center for Research on Animal Cognition at the University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier.
This researcher, whose popularization work revealed the organization to the general public, also oversees the “
Elevate your blob
”
experiment
.
Read also Blobs sent into space to be studied by Thomas Pesquet
From its scientific name "
physarum polycephalum
", the blob appeared on Earth long before the dinosaurs.
It is made up of only one cell and several nuclei that can multiply at will.
Its ability to go dormant makes it almost immortal.
Although devoid of legs, mouth, stomach, it moves and eats.
And despite his lack of a brain, he knows how to solve complex problems and transmit information.