2 3 live&learn&rejoice: Amoebae farm

January 25, 2011

Amoebae farm

NY Times, today, January 25, 2011 -

A certain kind of amoeba, dictyostelium discoideum, can spread seeds, cultivate the fruit, and finally collect - and eat - the crop.  The amoebae don't eat all of the food they grow; they save some for later.  Within a group of amoebae (a family?), only about 1/3 of the amoebae can serve as farmers.  I don't know whether there are boy amoebae and girl amoebae.  Hunters and gatherers?  The short blurb reports that this kind of amoebae can reproduce either sexually or asexually (so I guess there must be boys and girls).

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