Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I thank you for your attention. I am currently trying to find some of the preliminary experimental materials, and I had a few questions.

1.Where would I be able to find some non-specific subway maps or a list of the most often used stations on a subway or tram network?

2. Would I be able to grow a slime mold and continually divide it until I have the necessary amount of specimens for the experiment?

3. What are the optimal temperatures for a slime mold? (I plan on storing around 5-10 petri dishes in one place and know that they need to be kept out of direct light; I just don't know if I would need to control temperature that much.)

Once again, thank you for your consideration. I shall post a reply to yours if I have further questions.

Hi there,

oflahse wrote: 1.Where would I be able to find some non-specific subway maps or a list of the most often used stations on a subway or tram network?

I'm not sure how to answer this question. I know that Google Maps allows you to look at public transportation routes...

oflahse wrote:2. Would I be able to grow a slime mold and continually divide it until I have the necessary amount of specimens for the experiment?

3. What are the optimal temperatures for a slime mold? (I plan on storing around 5-10 petri dishes in one place and know that they need to be kept out of direct light; I just don't know if I would need to control temperature that much.)

I am no expert on slime molds, but I found a few websites that may be able to help you get started:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/turbulent/slime.html
http://www.una.edu/faculty/pgdavison/PH ... 20web.html
http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/Pro ... jectID=121

It looks as if room temperature works for growing these organisms, so I suspect you do not have to worry too much about controlling your temperature.

Hope that helps!
Heather

1.Where would I be able to find some non-specific subway maps or a list of the most often used stations on a subway or tram network?

Here are the links to the map of New York and DC subway system.
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

2. Would I be able to grow a slime mold and continually divide it until I have the necessary amount of specimens for the experiment?

Here is a website that describes the procedure on how to grow large amount of slime mold in a short time.
http://www.micro.siu.edu/microforhighsc ... cise10.htm

3. What are the optimal temperatures for a slime mold? (I plan on storing around 5-10 Petri dishes in one place and know that they need to be kept out of direct light; I just don't know if I would need to control temperature that much.)

According to information on the North Carolina Public Health website: “Temperature also affects mold growth. Different types of mold have minimum, optimum and maximum temperature ranges for growth. Many fungi grow well at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which are also ideal temperatures for human comfort. In addition, as mentioned above, temperature gradients often produce the moisture needed for mold growth.”

Michael

I just want to give some literature.

A popular slime mold of study is Physarum polycephalum.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20401510

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20142479

You can ask if you need the actual PDF's from PubMed if you cannot
get them.

When you do plan on conducting the growth experiment, depending on the strain you choose,
be sure to read literature on it. Perform over a range of optimal temperatures and nutrient
conditions with proper controls. If you are seeking optimal growth for a certain habitat, e.g.
human, you may want to do it near 37 degrees C.

You've received a lot of good help from the Experts here at Ask an Expert. It sounds like you've got an interesting project planned!

I wanted to post a link to a relevant project on the Science Buddies site that uses Physarum polycephalum:

Smarter Than Your Average Slime: Maze-solving by an Amoeboid Organism
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p060.shtml

You may find something helpful in the background material or bibliographic information here.

Amy
Science Buddies