When Sci-Fi Meets Reality: The Imitation of a Bizarre Species in a Classic Monster Movie

The iconic horror movie "The Blob" from 1958, starring Steve McQueen, bears resemblance to a real-life species called slime mold. Slime mold, a type of protist, engulfs bacteria and small organic molecules for food and forms a structure called a plasmodium. It moves by pulsating waves created by proteins found in animal muscle tissue. Slime mold can solve mazes and leaves an extracellular slime trail to navigate its surroundings. While slime molds can take up space, they are harmless to humans and typically grow to about five centimeters in the wild.