Mycetozoa

Mycetozoa, or slime molds, are drawing attention as organisms that defy easy classification. Neither fungi nor plants, they live as single-celled microbes about 10 micrometers across in the soil, feeding on bacteria. When conditions call for it, the cells merge into a mobile, millimeter-long collective that moves as one. Nature enthusiasts are sharing the strange biology of these multiform life forms, highlighting how individual cells cooperate to behave like a single animal-like organism.