Study to find out why you're a slime ball
A University of Manchester scientist has been awarded 拢150,000 to study slime!
But this is no ordinary slime, says biologist Chris Thompson, who believes it could unravel mysteries of evolution that even Darwin couldn't solve.
Dr Thompson鈥檚 curious research was one of only three scientific studies to win this year鈥檚 prestigious Lister Institute Research Prize.
The award will allow him to develop his work on slime moulds 鈥� microscopic organisms that show remarkable qualities of cooperation and self-sacrifice.
鈥淧eople might wonder why bother studying slime mould but it could lead to a greater understanding of human behaviour,鈥� explained Dr Thompson, who is based in the Faculty of Life Sciences.
鈥淲e know that human behaviour, at least in part, is influenced by our genes, so studying behaviour at a cellular level can improve our understanding of why some genes are associated with cooperation and others with conflict.
鈥淐ooperation is a major driving force in evolution and understanding it is a huge challenge in biology.
鈥淚n society, people help each other; they work together within a social structure for a common good even if that means individual effort or sacrifice.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in finding out why people choose to cooperate rather than cheat to simply help themselves.鈥�
This process of cooperation, says Dr Thompson, is beautifully demonstrated at the microscopic level by the slime mould, Dictyostelium.
鈥淭o understand behaviour at a molecular level we needed an organism that displays social behaviour and can be manipulated in the lab.鈥�
鈥淪lime moulds usually exist as single-cell amoebae feeding off bacteria in the soil but when their food supply runs out they aggregate to form a 鈥榝ruiting body鈥� of some 100,000 cells.
鈥淪ome cells become spores, while others form a stalk beneath the soil surface. These stalk cells die; they sacrifice themselves so the spores can be dispersed to new feeding grounds.
鈥淢y research examines the different genetic makeup of the stalk and spore cells in order to understand this behaviour and discover why some cells would 鈥榗hoose鈥� to die to help others.鈥�
Dr Thompson believes that his research could even lead to a better understanding of the human psyche.
鈥淭he rules of engagement we observe in the cells of Dictyostelium are the same at all levels,鈥� he said.
鈥淪o, if we can find out which genes prompt cells to cooperate and which trigger conflict we will gain a greater understanding of social behaviour.鈥�
Source: The University of Manchester
