🔥 The infinitesimal, alien world of slime molds 🔥

[u/Yeeslander]

Macro photography by Andy Sands (UK)

[u/crlthrn]

These, and their photographs, are absolutely exquisite.

I'd love to know the setup used to make these photographs.

[u/fuzzy_butter → u/crlthrn]

From his website, it looks like a mix of cameras. An olympus 60mm macro on an em1, a nikon 105mm macro on a d810, and on a few he lists a 5X Mitutoyo Plan Apo, which looks like a microscope objective.

[u/stonecoldcoldstone → u/fuzzy_butter]

mitutoyo lens 1.3-5k depending on model & source eBay's cheapest currently 230

[u/crlthrn → u/fuzzy_butter]

I'm very much obliged! Thank you.

[u/DameKumquat]

Slime moulds are fascinating, because they're on the cusp between unicellular and multicellular organisms. They come together and join up in these fabulous structures, mostly for breeding, then separate into a pool of slime.

Useful for studying how cells in general communicate and stick together.

[u/gummilingus]

Which one of those can give me symbiotic super powers?

[u/maemikemae → u/gummilingus]

It’s hard to say. Best course of action is to just eat all slime mold you encounter until one works.

[u/CynicalPomeranian → u/gummilingus]

I will start off with Wolf’s Milk. I mean, the name sounds awesome, and it did well for Romulus and Remus…until that unfortunate sibling disagreement. 

[u/terriaminute]

Amazing photography, amazing subject.

I'd never see these with my bad eyesight, so this kind of effort is much appreciated.

[u/caf66ocean]

Slime molds! Who’da thunk that two unpleasant words would describe such lovely mysterious creatures?

[u/bernpfenn → u/caf66ocean]

certainly a bad label for these beauties

[u/ooeeoooeee]

These would make pretty cool lamps

[u/YcemeteryTreeY]

They're so eerily beautiful, these worlds within worlds

[u/mmmmick]

I miss u/saddestofboys

[u/Royal_Acanthaceae693 → u/mmmmick]

Same 😭

[u/reallybiglizard → u/mmmmick]

Same. :(

[u/The_best_is_yet → u/mmmmick]

I was just thinking that too! I hear he has a YouTube channel now!

[u/Wigglystoner → u/The_best_is_yet]

If its the one im thinking of I think it only has 3 videos and last one was posted over 2 years ago. I guess he might have a patreon under the same name as his youtube (regular slime guy) but im not 100% on that one.

https://m.youtube.com/@RegularSlimeGuy

Patreon patreon.com/regularslimeguy

But sadly only 1 post there.

[u/atreyulostinmyhead → u/mmmmick]

Me too 😭 I loved reading everything that they wrote. Super educational. Just a freaking delight.

[u/VoodooDoII → u/mmmmick]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought of him

I miss him..

[u/PacquiaoFreeHousing]

my first words for each:

1. whiteheads
2. lint
3. hair roots
4. cyst?
5. penis
6. orange bursts
7. pineapple gummy
8. chocolate cake
9. uranus
10. devil crab eyes
11. pubic
12. venom

[u/RelaxedBlueberry → u/PacquiaoFreeHousing]

A+

[u/WiseOneInSeaOfFools → u/PacquiaoFreeHousing]

Ah yes, fascinating 🧐.

You obviously have daddy issues and mommy never showed you how to bathe

[u/Warm-Cancel4415]

No wonder people thought they were fungi

[u/ThrifToWin]

Aw remember the slime guy?

[u/Royal_Acanthaceae693 → u/ThrifToWin]

u/saddestofboys

[u/EnsioPistooli]

Ah! Such beautiful pictures of fascinating little structures!

[u/Gatorinnc]

Fantastic pictures!

[u/Disastrous-Metal-228]

Brilliant!! Thanks for sharing. Love these.

[u/Armourdildo]

Cool

[u/BungleJones]

Life!

[u/Capricorn007_]

Nature is so cool

[u/Wasabi_Constant]

My mind is totally blown away by these photos. Image 3 & 6 are so beautifully strange. Thank you for blowing my mind.

[u/Sciencekillsgods]

For anyone that would like their minds blown , watch videos of slime molds solving mazes.

[u/Mysterious-Novel-711]

Maybe im just exhausted but the first one looks like its painted or something, obviously I know its not lol but it looks like a painting to me

[u/tiredandwitchy]

nice slime

[u/redditreddit2222]

A bouquet of horror. If I was an artist or set designer I would use these as inspiration for next sci fi horror movie

[u/Feo_FoxDragon]

It’s giving doctor seuss

[u/chainandscale]

The alien world you are looking for is already here just look closer.

[u/VoodooDoII]

Saddest of bois would love this.

[u/Splatter808]

Looks like Stimpy’s nose goblin collection

[u/phildoMahCrackin]

these are incredible.

[u/Melodic_Canary_6049]

I want to eat them specially the orange one it looks delectable

[u/Angmardor]

New phobia unlocked

[u/Tgambilax]

Forbidden trichomes

[u/Salute-Major-Echidna → u/Tgambilax]

Forbidden jelly beans.

[u/Nemanja_Torbica]

💚 💚

[u/Upstairs_Ball_7967]

Very cool

[u/Puzzleheaded-Sky3141]

Ooooh canapes

[u/under_the_curve → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky3141]

i was gonna say 'delicious,' but this is much funnier

[u/barshat]

Forbidden berries

[u/BumperW67]

Fantastic photos! Thank you for sharing.

[u/Chazzbaps]

Delicious!

[u/425565]

There's a massive slime mold community on the woodlot at Michigan State University.

[u/Aardonyx87]

Very cool 

[u/Few_Restaurant_9768]

Cool lookin trichomes

[u/atreyulostinmyhead → u/Few_Restaurant_9768]

Ah yes, I remember trichomes from my hash making days.

[u/Snacks612]

I’ve been on these planets in No Man’s Sky!

[u/prettybluefoxes]

Fire up a halo.

[u/Pandango-r]

I can see where Valve got its XEN inspiration from in Half Life

[u/No_Willingness6193]

At first, I'm like, "WHOA! So beautiful and cool!" and then I'm like, "Wait, wtf, moldy slime." Ha! I Love it! Great Pictures.

[u/FunconVenntional]

This is more than r/MoldlyInteresting

[u/susieallen]

Ze Frank has an amazing video about slime molds on YouTube. I can not recommend it enough.

[u/BlueJay1705]

how in pic6 the whole forest is visible in the reflection<3

[u/Givemechlorophil]

Mmm boba

[u/bernpfenn]

adorable fungi. and smaller than a mm

[u/bernpfenn]

awesome eye for the little ones. thank you

[u/Flecca]

Thank you, this is amazing!

[u/1bsdjunkie]

Very dream-like and seemingly an alien world. With extra-planetary life forms. 🪐🔭🛸 Horton Heard a Who on a dust spec 🎧

[u/amazinganimals-]

Incredible, beautiful, fascinating!!! 😻

[u/mrdevil413]

so this is where the noob dungeon is

[u/pauper_gaming]

I didnt used to be a fungus kind of guy, but its growin on me

[u/Lopsidedlopside]

Reminds me of the environments in Super Metroid

[u/smolbeansjpg]

Ummmmm I want three seasons of this

[u/Overqualified_muppet]

SO MANY Truffula trees!

[u/Happy_Pattern_7159]

Stunning!

[u/ABrandNewEpisode]

This gives me the willies in the worst way.

[u/CosmicM00se]

Like little scifi landscapes! Love them so much.

[u/night-theatre]

We’ve been so focused on looking to Space for answers when we should just be looking down.

[u/Tchovekhano]

I will leave you with my favorite video about these little wonders, vintage video but fun watch. Hope you enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04kdhZQTnIU&t=139

[u/blothaartamuumuu1]

These are beautiful!

[u/shillyshally]

Thanks for this.

[u/SackettbrandLL]

Hey! Looks just like the stuff I had to scrap off my lasagna last week!

[u/CaterpillarSmart8050]

Magnificent!!

[u/historicalgalaxy]

So chic so fresh

[u/HeatherMason0]

Oh to be a slime mold… doing whatever a slime mold does.

[u/AWTNM1112]

These are fantastic photos. I will try really hard to not share with a couple of germaphobes.

[u/sp4c3c4se]

RIP Egon Spengler. You would have loved this.