Do Now 1. How many single-celled organisms it takes the cross the road? (Hint!!!) Take a moment to draw a pyramid with one single celled organism at the top, then two, then four….

Do Now Answer 1. How many single-celled organisms it takes the cross the road? Answer: At least one too start. Despite having no brains or feet, one amoeba can become two, the two can divide and become four and so-fourth.

Agenda Diagramming an amoeba cell No Brains, No Feet, No Problem! Slime mold and academics, No way! Writing

Diagramming an amoeba

What is an Amoeba? Amoeba: Unicellular animal with pseudopods that lives in fresh or saltwater Psuedopod: False feet which extend from the amoeba. Used for movement

Types of amoebas There are many kinds of amoebas (or amoebae), and they thrive in places where their food sources are abundant. Often that means where there is vegetation, fungi, and yeast. Slime mold, of which there are over 900 different species, will survive as a unicellular organism when food is plentiful, but will adapt when and grow into a mass of amoebas when starving.

Slime Molds: No Brains, No Feet, No Problem

2/04/the-sublime-slime-mold.html

Slime Videos Time lapse clips, so they don’t really travel that fast However, this does represent how the slim mold moves in an organized way towards a goal. Mold is very efficient in search for food.

What does this mean for science?

Write a paragraph in class as if you were in one of the following careers: Network engineer, trying to figure out how to get better coverage from cell phone towers in remote parts of North America An oncologist, seeking new healthy cells on which to experiment with potential cures for cancer, in a way that does not harm people or animals. A mathematician, seeking a formula or algorithm, replicating information repeatedly to problem-solve was to reach the broadest audiences. (Hint: Research the phrase, “Sum Ergo Computo,” meaning, “I am, therefore I compute.”) An environmentalist hoping to study manage the impact different kinds of slime may have on a habitats of endangered animals, or animals that need to adapt to find new sources of food. A geographer, tracking the migration patterns of wildlife based on food sources, using slime mold as a model.