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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallTo care for the slime mould used in many classroom projects, Physarum polycephalum, keep it on a damp surface in a covered container, in a dark place at room temperature. Offer plain rolled oats, remove old food and bedding, and transfer the growing culture to a clean surface as it spreads. These instructions are for Physarum polycephalum, not every organism called a slime mould.
Choose a container and damp growing surface
For a simple home setup, use a waterproof container with a lid and line it with damp kitchen towel. Keep the towel moist, not flooded. This is a documented alternative to lab plates; you do not need Petri dishes or agar for basic observation. Warwick’s care guide describes the tub-and-towel approach.
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For a classroom plate-based protocol, a Petri dish with paper towel or an agar plate provides a defined surface for observing growth. The California Academy of Sciences’ classroom activity and Science ASSIST’s November 2014 care SOP describe plate-based methods. Use the surface specified by the protocol you are following rather than mixing procedures.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsKeep the culture dark and at room temperature
Cover the container and store it in a dark place at room temperature, away from bright or direct light. If you are using a Petri dish and cannot store it in darkness, the Science ASSIST SOP says it may be wrapped in foil. Science Buddies recommends about 25°C (77°F) for best growth in its project guide, while noting the culture should survive most room temperatures; treat that as a guide-specific recommendation, not a guaranteed optimum for every setup.
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Feed plain rolled oats and remove leftovers
Use plain rolled oats or old-fashioned oatmeal flakes. In a tub or on paper, place fresh oats beside existing food so the slime mould can grow toward them. In the Science ASSIST agar-plate procedure, oats are placed on the active yellow area. Remove old food as it deteriorates.
Feeding intervals depend on the method: Warwick recommends a pinch every few days; the California Academy’s activity says daily or every few days; and the Science ASSIST plate SOP specifies one or two oats daily. Follow the cadence for your chosen protocol and adjust based on what you observe rather than treating one schedule as universal.
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Refresh the bedding as the slime mould spreads
Old or crowded substrate can limit a growing culture. Replace the paper bedding or transfer the active growth to a fresh paper surface or agar plate as needed. Warwick recommends changing bedding weekly. Science ASSIST advises subculturing about every 5–7 days to keep a culture from outgrowing its Petri dish. These are schedules for different procedures, not interchangeable guarantees.
Turn routine care into a controlled investigation
Choose one question and change one variable at a time—for example, whether the organism connects two food sources through a short route in a maze. Keep a control where the project design allows, repeat trials, and record observations over time. The California Academy recommends forming a testable question and hypothesis before designing the investigation; Science Buddies provides a maze-project structure and advises checking local science-fair rules.
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Science Buddies reports that in the 2000 Nakagaki et al. maze experiment, 14 of 19 trials selected the shortest or second-shortest path. That is the reported outcome of that experiment, not a prediction of what every classroom replication will achieve. Other manageable questions include how food placement or light exposure relates to growth; keep other conditions consistent so the observation is interpretable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Recognize contamination, decline, and spore formation
- Bad smell: Warwick identifies an unpleasant smell as a possible sign of contamination. Its guidance is to move healthy growth to fresh paper in a clean container with food, then clean the old container.
- Brown, grey, or runny growth: Warwick describes these appearances as signs that the slime mould is dead.
- Black stationary spots: These may be spore clusters following light exposure. Warwick advises starting a fresh culture if you want to continue the project.
Do not assume every change in appearance has the same cause; use the signs above as troubleshooting cues, not a diagnosis of every culture problem.
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Use gloves and dispose of the finished culture safely
Wear disposable gloves when handling the culture and follow your school’s lab-safety procedures. Warwick notes that a teacher may need to complete a risk assessment, and Science Buddies advises checking science-fair rules for biological materials before starting. Follow local requirements for the culture, container, and waste.
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For disposal, Warwick recommends covering a finished culture with disinfectant such as bleach or ethanol overnight, or autoclaving it. Ethanol is flammable: keep it away from ignition sources and follow the product label and school procedure. The California Academy also advises careful disposal of Petri dishes. Do not pour or discard culture materials until you know the applicable school or local disposal rules.
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