Scientists have “successfully” created a robot that is controlled by slime, and I don’t mean the low-life, villainous types, I mean the lichen mossy mouldy variety. Now, whether or not it is a good idea to put organic, human-hating lifeforms at the controls of powerful mechanical exoskeletons is certainly better debated in the form of a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a simple blog, but one thing is for sure, this thing will soon break out of the lab and kill us all.

I mean, did they have to pick a slime with these characteristics?

Physarum polycephalum is a large single-celled organism that responds to food sources, such as bacteria and fungi (and humans), by moving towards and engulfing it. It also moves away from light and favours humid, moist places to inhabit.

I mean come on people, this is the most evil-natured mould they could find, isn’t it? It lives in the dark and swallows things whole. They couldn’t have made a daisy-controlled robot or some other cute and friendly plant. It’s a nightmare, and now it walks.

Nice job, fellas.