Gwengoat/iStock(PARIS) — A surprising species of unicellular being that’s neither plant nor animal will be unveiled at the Paris Zoo for the first time on Saturday.
The curious single cell biological wonder — called “the blob” — has a bright yellow color and is capable of complex behavior, including sensing food and moving.
Dans une semaine, vous pourrez découvrir une nouvelle espèce au @zoodeparis : le #blob !
Cet être unicellulaire ne manquera pas de vous surprendre. Déroulez notre fil pour en savoir plus… ⬇️#5AnsZoodeParis #RDVSauvage
MNHN – F.-G. Grandin pic.twitter.com/upUxaqrvBo— Zoo de Paris (@zoodeparis) October 11, 2019
“While he has no mouth, neither stomach, nor eyes, the blob is perfect at detecting the presence of food and ingesting it,” the Paris Zoo said in a translated tweet.
The zoo also said the blob, which has 720 sexes, does not have a brain or legs, but it “moves at the speed of one centimeter an hour, four if it sprints.”
“The blob is difficult to place in the tree of life,” Bruno David, the director of the Paris Museum of Natural History and Zoological Park, said in a statement. “[It] teaches us a lot about the richness of life on Earth.”
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Blobs are yellow
So is SpongeBoB#blob #physarum #slimemold #protist #AmazingNatures pic.twitter.com/EtjITXnBsP— Audrey Dussutour (@Docteur_Drey) September 28, 2019
Dr. Audrey Dussutour, a researcher with the CNRS (translated to: National Scientific Research Center) who has studied blobs and works with the zoo, tweeted a short poem about the algae-like organism, also known as a eukaryotic protist.
Dussutour explained that while the “Physarum polycephalum,” aka the blob, has long been studied, this is the first time it will be on exhibit at a zoo.
On ne vient pas de découvrir le #blob il fait simplement son entrée au @zoodeparis ce qui est événement en soi car c’est la première fois qu’un tel être vivant est présenté dans un zoo.
— Audrey Dussutour (@Docteur_Drey) October 17, 2019
The new area within the Paris Zoo dedicated to the blob will open to the public on Saturday.
Aujourd’hui le @zoodeparis inaugure la #Blob zone en partenariat avec le @CNRS.
Le public a rendez-vous dès samedi prochain (19/10) pour découvrir cette espèce qui fascine les scientifiques, comme @Docteur_Drey.
➡️ https://t.co/P74RCEYaOG #80ansCNRS #RDVSauvage #5AnsZoodeParis pic.twitter.com/XIRcnOfMvR— Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (@CNRS) October 16, 2019
Ce n’est ni une plante, ni un animal, ni un champignon… On dirait un canular, mais il existe bel et bien : le blob est la superposition quantique d’espèces d’ordinaire bien distinctes. https://t.co/63XJR1XfFH pic.twitter.com/3zdQUBsD7h
— France Culture (@franceculture) October 17, 2019
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