Is it possible for Physarum polycephalum (the blob) to adapt and learn to cross an obstacle placed in its way to reach a determined goal, this obstacle being normal table salt (nacl).

This experiment aims to investigate whether Physarum polycephalum (The Blob) can adapt to and learn to overcome a barrier placed in its path in order to achieve a predetermined goal. The barrier is ordinary table salt (NaCl).

The amoeba family member Physarum polycephalum, also known as Physarum polycephalum, is an organism that is revolutionising how scientists see intelligence. This is due to the organism's single cell nature. The capacity to acquire and use knowledge and skills is what is meant by intelligence. According to common thinking, these points are typically related to more complex species like mammals and other members of the animal world. In general, one needs at least remember the event happening in order to learn from it. The hippocampus, a region of the brain, is where experts think memory is stored. Animals constantly, even unconsciously, use their brains to make judgements. The strange thing about Physarum polycephalum is that despite not having a brain, it can exhibit these symptoms of intelligence. In order to find nourishment, the Physarum polycephalum adapts to its environment and navigates the quickest path possible. The Physarum polycephalum organism is also quite adept at controlling the quantity and kinds of nutrients it takes in to be healthy. It has the capacity to choose where it will explore and look for food.

The purpose of the investigation for this research work is to ascertain whether it is accurate that Physarum polycephalum can learn to adapt to environments that are not ideal for the species. There will be various steps throughout the experiment. The first was to position Physarum polycephalum on a container's one side. Place some oats on the opposite side of the container after that. The last step is to set up an overhead camera that will periodically capture photographs to track the growth or movement that Physarum polycephalum makes. The identical experiment will be carried out after the control experiment with the following modification: Physarum polycephalum will be placed between the food and a layer of salt (NaCl), a natural repellant. This experiment with the additional salt (NaCl) will be run four times, excluding the control test. To assess the level of habituation reached by Physarum polycephalum, a sample of the organism from the previous iteration in which it came into contact with the salt will be used. This is due to the fact that Physarum polycephalum is thought to be better at remembering obstacles and overcoming them.

The purpose of the experiment was to test the hypothesis that Physarum polycephalum can migrate from one end of a container to the other end, where the food was placed, despite barriers in its path, and that it can learn to get around the obstacles with each repeat. The hurdle in this experiment was regular table salt (NaCl), which Physarum polycephalum naturally avoids since it is a deterrent. NaCl would be a natural barrier but not harmful to Physarum polycephalum since it sucks out the moisture in the area, which is not ideal for Physarum polycephalum.

We will be able to determine whether a basic, single-cell organism without a brain is capable of picking up new information and adapting to its environment. The ideal result of this experiment would be for Physarum polycephalum to actually learn from prior experience, not need to avoid the salt, and be able to traverse the salt more quickly each time.

The goal of this experiment is to improve human understanding of intelligence and the learning and adaption processes that make up its subcomponents. The study of organisms' intelligence is a very broad and fascinating area, and neuroscience is pertinent to it because of the unique ways that different organisms learn and can adapt to their environment.

When examining intelligence in creatures, there are various situations where ethical and/or moral constraints and challenges must be addressed. The study maintains integrity because it uses Physarum polycephalum, a living organism that can be utilised in experiments in the same manner as plants are. This experiment is a simple option to get over most of these obstacles.

The sample of Physarum polycephalum and the number of times it has come into touch with regular table salt (NaCl) are the independent variables since it is expected to be able to learn from the experience and get beyond the challenge. This means that Physarum polycephalum would learn to disregard the salt (NaCl) and learn that the salt (NaCl) will not be harmful if it had to cross the salt more frequently to get to the food. As a result, it would be able to cross the salt more quickly each time.

The time it takes Physarum polycephalum to cross the salt is the dependent variable. As the experiment goes through more iterations, this ought to get less severe. A timelapse camera will capture photographs at regular intervals to track the passage of time. This will make it possible to view and record the precise time.

The controlled variables are:

1. the quantity of salt (NaCl) used as a buffer between the food supply and Physarum polycephalum. One gramme of salt (NaCl) was used in this experiment.
2. the dimensions of the container used for the experiment. The container was 6 cm by 2 cm in size.
3. the period of time that the experiment is run. There was a 24-hour limit on the period of time.
4. Since Physarum polycephalum development is enhanced in situations with no light or very little light, the experiment was carried out in a dark space. The experiment was set up in a container that prevents light from entering but the light levels were not tested.
5. In order to ensure that the experiment's findings were comparable from iteration to iteration, the type of gel was kept constant.
6. From every previous run of the experiment, a sample of Physarum polycephalum was collected.
7. As a picture was taken every hour to document the progress of Physarum polycephalum, the amount of light that could be used to photograph the experiment was restricted to a few minutes per hour.

Control Test

• Grow the virgin Blob in a petri dish.
• 25 6 cm x 2 cm gel rectangles with the same concentration should be prepared. (View Fig. 5)
• Pick up 5 containers containing the gel and each one should include 0.5g of oats at one end of the gel.
• On the opposite end of the gel, place a piece of Physarum polycephalum measuring 1.00 cm² (test tube opening size).
• In a dimly lit area, place the gel bottle underneath the camera and set the timer for 60 minutes of photography.
• Allow it to grow for 24 hours.
• Record findings on the result sheet under label control.

Iteration 1 with normal table salt:

• Pick up five gel strips, and place them in a container.
• Place 0.5g of oats at the gel's one end.
• Sprinkle 5 gel strips with 1g of regular table salt (NaCl).
• On the other end of the gel, place 1.00 cm² of Physarum polycephalum (test tube opening size) from the control test.
• Every 60 minutes, place the container underneath the camera in a dimly lit room.
• Allow it to grow for 24 hours.
• Record findings on the result sheet under label 1.

Iteration 2 with normal table salt:

• In order to use it in iteration 2 of the experiment, cultivate 1.00 cm² of the Physarum polycephalum that was exposed to salt in iteration 1 in a petri dish.
• Put 5 gel strips in the container after taking them out.
• Place 0.5g of oats at the gel's one end.
• Sprinkle 5 gel strips with 1g of regular table salt (NaCl).
• On the other end of the gel, place a sample of Physarum polycephalum (test tube opening-sized), which was taken from iteration 1 of the experiment and has previously been in touch with regular table salt once.
• Every 60 minutes, place the container underneath the camera in a dimly lit room.
• Allow it to grow for 24 hours.
• Record findings on the results sheet under label 2.

Iteration 3 with normal table salt:

• In order to use it in iteration 3 of the experiment, cultivate 1.00 cm² of the Physarum polycephalum that was exposed to salt in iteration 2 in a petri dish.
• Pick up five gel strips, and place them in a container.
• Place 0.5g of oats at the gel's one end.
• Sprinkle 5 gel strips with 1g of regular table salt (NaCl).
• On the other end of the gel, place a sample of Physarum polycephalum (test tube opening size) from iteration 2 of the experiment that has been in touch with regular table salt twice.
• In a suitable space, place the container underneath the camera so that it can take images every 60 minutes.
• Allow it to grow for 24 hours.
• Record findings on the results sheet under label 3.

Iteration 4 with normal table salt:

• In order to use it in iteration 4 of the experiment, cultivate 1.00cm² of the Physarum polycephalum that was exposed to the salt in iteration 3 in a petri dish.
• Pick up five gel strips, and place them in a container.
• Place 0.5g of oats at the gel's end.
• Sprinkle 5 gel strips with 1g of regular table salt (NaCl).
• On the opposite end of the gel, place a sample of Physarum polycephalum from iteration three of the experiment that has been in touch with regular table salt three times and is the size of a test tube opening.
• Place the container underneath the camera in a suitable room and set the timer to capture a photo every 60 minutes.
• Allow it to grow for 24 hours.
• Record findings on the results sheet under label 4.

There were no dangerous materials or tools used in this experiment. All equipment that came into contact with the gel or Physarum polycephalum was cleansed and sanitised to prevent contamination in order to maintain the most accurate findings possible. Since organic material is biodegradable and not hazardous to the environment, it was all disposed of as regular waste.

As Physarum polycephalum did not move and perished before coming into touch with the common table salt, the experiment was unable to yield any findings (NaCl). Due to the fact that no successful experiment could be carried out, secondary data sources, such as the outcomes of experiments conducted by third parties, had to be used in order to support or refute the idea that Physarum polycephalum is actually capable of learning and overcoming the challenges that were put in its path.

Table of results for the amount of time it took for each sample to cross in the experiment done for this study

By bridging the distance between Physarum polycephalum and the food that has been provided, the gel utilized serves as a conduit for the organism. Physarum polycephalum took twice as long to traverse the bridge with salt as it did the one without the natural repellant, indicating that Physarum polycephalum was reluctant to cross the bridge with salt.⁴

Since it is not particularly eager to do so, Physarum polycephalum and associated slime molds flow over the salt more slowly, but when they do so, they appear to come to understand that it won't damage them. In this experiment, the researchers fed a sample of Physarum polycephalum salt combined with an oats gel for 6 days while giving a different sample of Physarum polycephalum an oats gel devoid of salt. This was done to acclimatize Physarum polycephalum to the salt in the same way that they did in the prior paper when they forced it to migrate across the salt. Then, these two slime mold samples were placed on another set of salt-coated bridges. The group that received the salt mixture as part of the experiment was able to cross the bridge more quickly than the group that received the regular oats gel. Additionally, it was noted and proven that if the slime molds' diet was changed back to the original, unadulterated gel that contained the salt, they would expel the salt that had become trapped inside them in around two days.

The first instance of long-term habituation in an organism without a brain system is now available to humanity. The majority of living things, including those without brains, may share cognitive capacities, of which habituation is just one example, according to scientists. There are many methods to absorb information and manage behavior; a central nervous system is one way, but not the only way, according to Godfrey-Smith, who was also quoted in the publication. 3^rd-party research was used as a foundation to draw conclusions that supported the hypothesis because the results of the experiment were regarded to be compromised because unidentified circumstances led to the early death of the samples used in the experiment.

The results from independent trials demonstrated that the hypothesis is true and that Physarum polycephalum does, in fact, learn and adapt with time and repetition, despite the fact that the experiment carried out as part of this research report produced results that contradicted the hypothesis.

The third-party data that was acquired demonstrated that, in line with the objective of the experiment that is connected to this publication, Physarum polycephalum does move more quickly across the common table salt (NaCl) after coming into touch with the salt multiple times. The data show that the same specimen of Physarum polycephalum learned how to overcome the repellent each time it came into contact with regular table salt (NaCl), and the data also show that the speed increased in each iteration to such an extent that after a few iterations the speed to reach the food was achieved that was shown on the control experiment of this research paper and the third party research. To make this experiment operate effectively, a variety of alternative approaches were used. Unfortunately, there was a problem. Contact with alcohol sanitizer in the air, which could have killed the Physarum polycephalum, is one factor that could have contributed to the failure. This topic has been studied, so it is very likely that this is what led to the failure. 6 If the box in which the experiment was done did not completely block all the light that may have entered the area, this could have had an impact on the experiment's findings. As Physarum polycephalum needs darkness to flourish, this is a concern.

There aren't many safety precautions that must be followed in this experiment. The sample of Physarum polycephalum was contaminated, which posed the biggest threat to the experiment's success. Several things, including the following, could contaminate this experiment:

• In the human body, there are naturally occurring bacteria.
• unsterilized lab apparatus.
• Not rinsing lab equipment and cleaning products thoroughly off each piece of used equipment
• due to Physarum polycephalum's sensitivity to light, and light contamination
• location about other samples and solvents. 
• contamination due to temperature The specimen was either too hot or too cold.
• According to research, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, potassium bicarbonate, commas, commas tea, and commercially available disinfectants such as alcohol can all destroy slime mold.
• Ph levels must also fall within a desirable range for Physarum polycephalum to thrive and avoid demise. Although every precaution was made to ensure that the specimens were not contaminated, it appears that the experiment failed since the specimens were killed by some sort of contamination.

Despite the fact that the research experiment related to this article was unsuccessful, Numerous independent research and experiments conducted by outside parties have supported the concept. A single cell organism demonstrates some intelligence by being able to learn and adapt. Everything that occurred was unexpected because the experiment did not go as planned. As a result, the data could not be used with confidence, and additional data had to be consulted in order to draw a conclusion regarding the study topic.

The 3^rd-party studies made use of alternative experiments that were improved to enhance the outcomes discovered. The experiment utilised in this study has been altered in an effort to maintain its high level of dependability while also making it simpler to carry out in the given setting and with the available resources.

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