The Blob, the unicellular of all superlatives
Despite being only one cell, it can be huge. Despite being only one cell, it can be many. Despite being only one cell, its biological organisation has survived over a billion years. Despite being only one cell, it is amazingly smart!
Physarum polycephalum, affectionately nicknamed 'The Blob', is a remarkable single-celled organism that has captivated researchers from various scientific disciplines with its unique biological traits. Remarkably, it doubles or even triples in size daily and can expand to several square meters. If cut in two, it forms two autonomous and functional individuals that can later merge back into a single organism through fusion. Moreover, it rejuvenates after a period of dormancy and can thus live for several decades. Despite its simplicity, this unicellular organism exhibits complex behaviors typically associated with more advanced life forms. It can navigate complex mazes, anticipates events, communicates with its congeners, and has the ability to learn and memorize. We measure these capabilities through its movements, themselves generated by an oscillating circulatory system. This system connects a plethora of small decision centers that communicate together to elaborate a collective response: the motion of the cell. Join us to explore how its functioning opens up new ways of looking at living things: from awesome cellular properties and tortuous network geometries to enchanting oscillations and complex behaviors. One thing is certain, the Blob is far from done surprising you!
Talk by
Aurèle Boussard
Aurèle Boussard research focuses on the behaviors of distributed living systems such as slime molds and animal groups. During his PhD, he studied the persistence of a very simple form of learning in slime moulds and supplemented this experimental ethology side with image analysis to quantify the behaviors of this unicellular. Slime molds contain an internal circulatory system allowing a plethora of small decision centers to communicate and elaborate collective responses. His research currently asks how such a collective response emerges. On the one hand, he is using a theoretical model from probability theory to study the collective accuracy of many interacting agents. On the other hand, he is using fractal geometry to bring a novel understanding on the causal links between the geometry of the circulatory system of slime molds, the patterns it generates locally, and the resulting behavior.
Music by
Beranger 2000
After making experimental music worthy of the year 3000 for over a decade, Bérenger 2000 teleports back to the 80s. Armed with a massive deconstruction, his uninhibited music embraces electronic sounds, blasting them with new wave, electro-punk, and decadent slow jams. Equipped with an overcharged groovebox and a microphone worthy of a shopping mall announcer, his biting lyrics ironically illustrate what some call the world of tomorrow. Appearing out of nowhere in 2017, he set the internet ablaze with the video for his first hit, Oh no!. From there, he released several tracks with one goal: entertainment—because yes, he works for the entertainment industry. This approach gave birth to tracks like Ici la Terre, Vomir, and La porte du ciel. In 2019, after a series of wild, even surreal concerts, he finally took the plunge and recorded his first album: Réveillez-moi. It features his iconic hit Besoin d’un break, along with now-essential tracks like Kidnapping, La zone commerciale, Ultramoderne servitude, Qui a peur, and the infamous Johnny Petrol… The song titles say it all—Bérenger 2000’s universe is set. Expect chaos. A key member of the Brussels-based label Grand Écart Records, he has crisscrossed the Brussels and Tournai alternative scene since 2017. He has also played at several bold festivals, such as Soutane Scandale (Burgundy), Kerland (Brittany), and Micro-Causme (Lozère), where he has found notable success. In 2023, after two years of relentless touring, radio jingles, a zany theater piece, and composing the soundtrack for Micha Muhl’s short film How to Kill Properly Dead Animals, he is finally releasing his second album… A chance to rediscover live-proven tracks like Clope sur clope, Ras la casquette, Truc 2 ouf, and Les accidents de voiture... Vroom vroom!
