# How do slime molds anticipate periodic events?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 29, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332 "2015-08-29T21:45:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332/1 "2015-08-29T21:45:29Z")

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[http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/071](http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/071)

Searching has turned up several pop sci articles that tell me _that_ slime molds can anticipate periodic events. But I can’t find anything that explains _how_ they do so. Do we just not know at all? Or am I not looking in the right place?

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332/2 "2015-08-29T22:09:03Z")

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I personally know one of the worlds experts in slime molds. I think I’ll ask him his take on this.

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332/3 "2015-08-29T22:17:47Z")

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email sent…waiting his response.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-slime-molds-anticipate-periodic-events/729332/4 "2015-08-29T22:17:49Z")

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The paper linked in the article supposes that the cells contain a lot of internal oscillators that begin to arrange themselves based on repeated events. That part gives them memory. It’s not clear to me if there’s an explanation for the ability to react other than that, but the implication is that a stimulus is ‘recognized’ in the alignment of oscillators triggering a reaction.