Slime Mould Nanotechnology

We retrospectively examine and offer new perspectives on the hybridisation of slime mould Physarum polycephalum with metallic nanoparticles for the purpose of creating semi-organic, semi-artificial unconventional computing devices. Nanoparticle suspensions were successfully introduced into the plasmodium of P. polycephalum via feeding—i.e. exploitation of natural endocytotic mechanisms—and microinjection; nanoparticle uptake, intracellular distribution and excretion were thoroughly examined with light, electron and confocal microscopy. Slime mould was found to be extremely permissive to hybridisation with several biocompatible nanoparticle varieties, exhibiting few or no deleterious health effects following exposure. Hybridisation with nanoparticles was found to significantly alter the organism’s conductivity, resting potential and membrane potential dynamics through non-invasive electrophysiological measurement. The applications of the knowledge uncovered, which range from nanotoxicology research to emerging neurological disease therapies to novel bio-inspired computer design are relevant to all fields of scientific inquiry where biology, computing, medicine and nanotechnology meet.