Pink Slime Mold
By Bora Zivkovic
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Image of the Week #70, November 27th, 2012:From:Starving to be Social: The Odd Life of Dictyostelium Slime Molds by Alex Wild at Compound Eye. Source:Alex Wild - a Scientific American exclusive! The slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has long been an important partner to scientists studying the evolution of multicellular life. The organism alternates between an independent, single cell phase and a complex conglomerate where cells cooperate to form fruiting bodies, as seen here. This research colony, from the laboratory of Joan Strassmann and David Queller at Washington University in St. Louis, is rendered more colorful by photographing it in front of a sheet of pink printer paper.
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