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Book Synopsis
Physarum polycephalum, also known more colloquially as ''the blob'', ''acellular slime mould'', or just ''slime mould'', is a unicellular multinucleate protist that has continued to attract the interest of biologists over the past century because of its complex life cycle, unique physiology, morphology, and behaviour. More recently, attention has shifted to Physarum as a model organism for investigating putative cognitive capacities such as decision making, learning, and memory in organisms without nervous systems. The aim of this Element is to illustrate how Physarum can be used as a valuable tool for approaching various topics in the philosophy of biology. Physarum and its behaviour not only pose a challenge to some of the received views of biological processes but also, I shall argue, provide an opportunity to clarify and appropriately sharpen the concepts underlying such received views.

Slime Mould and Philosophy

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    A Paperback by Matthew Sims

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      Book details

      Publisher Cambridge University Press
      Published 1/16/2025
      ISBN-13 9781009488617
      978-1009488617
      ISBN-10 1009488619
      Also in:
      Science & Nature Molecular biology

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Physarum polycephalum, also known more colloquially as ''the blob'', ''acellular slime mould'', or just ''slime mould'', is a unicellular multinucleate protist that has continued to attract the interest of biologists over the past century because of its complex life cycle, unique physiology, morphology, and behaviour. More recently, attention has shifted to Physarum as a model organism for investigating putative cognitive capacities such as decision making, learning, and memory in organisms without nervous systems. The aim of this Element is to illustrate how Physarum can be used as a valuable tool for approaching various topics in the philosophy of biology. Physarum and its behaviour not only pose a challenge to some of the received views of biological processes but also, I shall argue, provide an opportunity to clarify and appropriately sharpen the concepts underlying such received views.

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