We had earlier read about the mysterious “blob” which can solve problems without a brain.

A zoo in Paris had it on display in October 2019. The scientific name of the blob is Physarum Polycephalum (or “the many-headed slime”). It is neither a plant, an animal or a fungus.
It is bright yellow in colour and can move without having limbs. You can read all about it here.

Now, the blob is heading to space! The European Space Agency (ESA) has decided to send the blob to the International Space Station (ISS).

They will launch the blob on 10 August along with other goods that NASA is sending to the ISS. The goal of sending the blob to space is to study the influence of microgravity on the blob’s behaviour.

What is microgravity?

Microgravity is the condition in space in which people or objects appear to be weightless. It is a condition of very low gravity but not zero gravity.

Once the blob reaches space, ESA astronaut and space photographer Thomas Pesquet will add water to wake up the blog and will take two photographs of the blob.

How will the two photographs help in studying it?

One photograph of the blob will study how two blobs respond alongside each other in an environment without food. The second photograph will analyze how the blobs behave when food is available in the environment. This experiment will last for 7 days. Meanwhile, students on Earth will also conduct similar tests. Then, after this, scientists will compare the results.

 

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