Scientists launched Blob into space

A block of single-celled yellow clay known as Blob heads toward the International Space Station. Blob is a natural clay mold with the scientific name Physarum polycephalum. But the European Space Agency, which is Send Blob On the International Space Station so that it can be observed in microgravity, its moniker obviously increases the likelihood of the mold getting a movie deal.

Consisting of a single cell, according to the European Space Agency, it is still able to move, feed itself, organize itself, and even transfer knowledge into sticky, like-minded moulds,” which doesn’t explain this like-minded acquaintance. Models tend to share.

The aim of the Blob investigation is to study the effect of microgravity on Blob’s behaviour. Would an organism behave differently in space? How might microgravity and radiation affect its evolution?

Blob is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on August 10 at Northrop Grumman NASA’s 16th Trade Supplies Mission. Once he arrives, the ESA astronaut and space photographer Thomas Pesquet will add water to Blob to wake him up, then take a picture of him according to two scientific protocols. We will study how two points respond to each other in a food-free environment. Another device will scan for blobs when food is available (oatmeal, of course).

Primary, secondary, and high school students on Earth will conduct similar experiments, comparing their results with time-lapse video from space to note differences in Blob’s speed, shape, and growth. The goal is to make the children of France and other ESA member states more immersed in the biological sciences. Since this is a learning experience, there is no direct application of Space, at least we are not aware of it yet.

The French space agency, CNES, is collaborating with the country’s National Center for Scientific Research on this survey.

“Blob is a unique experience that stimulates students’ curiosity about topics such as the impact of the environment on living organisms and the evolution of living things,” said Evelyn Courtiad Markey, head of education at the National Center for Space Studies, in a press release. .

The experiment will last for seven days. During this time, a four-second video of Blob will be automatically saved to the micro SD card every 10 minutes. Subsequently, it may have been sent to Hollywood clients.