What do some amoebozoans and the urban planners of Tokyo have in common? And who is smarter? What even is intelligence? Find out by learning about Physarum polycephalum, a slime mold (aka "slimy guy") you could find on a walk in the woods. Scientist Kyle David talks about the lifestyle and weird features of P. polycephalum and how, even when it's meters long and wrapping itself around trees, it's really still only one single cell. We also talk about human vs. non-human intelligence, how this amoeba defies the human-created and often nebulous paradigms of "biological sex", and what we can learn from the formidable microbes around us. Dr. Kyle T. David, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University, who has studied the evolution of many organisms, from yeasts to frogs! To follow his work, check out his Google Scholar page or follow him on Twitter: @KyleTheDavid, where he regularly goes viral for posting weird science stuff. Here are some links to studies referenced in this episode if you're interested in further reading: 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/35035159 2. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0912198107 3. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1215037109 4. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.0446#d4543081e1 5. https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.018101 For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram, @CouchMicroscopy on Twitter, or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. While some of the content on this podcast may be relevant to human or veterinary medicine, this information is not medical advice. The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.

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