France: 'The Blob' - self-healing, multi-sex organism exhibited at Paris Zoo

W/S Blob on display, Paris
W/S Blob on display, feeding on red mushrooms and wood chips
M/S Poster "The Blob zone"
SOT, Pierre-Yves Bureau, Director of the Zoological Park of Paris (French): "One of the main interests of Blob is that it has absolutely extraordinary abilities: it has a single cell, it has no brain but it is able to solve riddles such as finding the shortest way to get out of a labyrinth. The Blob is immortal and has 720 sexes."
W/S Blob on display
W/S Blob on display
W/S Blob on display
M/S Poster
SOT, Rudy Guillaume, Deputy Manager of Green Spaces (French): "Here is the place where we make the Blob grow on wood clippings, before going into the aquarium on the exhibition stand of the Zoological Park."
C/U Blob growing on oatmeal
W/S Blob on wood chips
W/S Blob on wood chips
SOT, Pierre-Yves Bureau, Director of the Zoological Park of Paris (French): "Researchers for a few decades have been interested in Blob. Above all, Audrey Dussutour, CNRS researcher and ethologist. With her we worked for the establishment of this exhibition 'Blob Zone'. Japanese researchers have also seen the interest of this strange body creature in terms of research and science to optimise transport networks."
W/S Screen
W/S Poster
W/S Poster
SOT, Pierre-Yves Bureau, Director of the Zoological Park of Paris (French): "Just be a little attentive during a walk in the forest one can find the Blob under barks of wood in the absence of very strong light. So you are all now invited to be attentive when you walk in the forest."
W/S Sign "Zoological park Paris
M/S Poster
W/S Entrance of the Zoological Park of Paris
W/S Zoological Park of Paris
SCRIPT
"The Blob", a mysterious unicellular organism of unknown nature was put on display at the Zoological Park of Paris on Saturday, for an exhibition that will last until early November.
According to Pierre-Yves Bureau, Director of the Zoological Park, the Blob has "extraordinary abilities" which allows it to "solve riddles such as finding the shortest way to get out of a labyrinth." It feeds on red mushrooms, oatmeal, and wood chips.
Despite the Blob's problem-solving abilities, biologists have not yet determined whether it is a plant, a mushroom, or a proper animal, reports say.
The slime mould, know officially as physarum polycephalum, is self-healing when cut in two and has 720 sexes.
Its title comes from the 1958 Hollywood movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen.
The 'Blob Zone' will be on display from October 19 to November 3.