In this very first tutorial, you’ll learn how to bring a blob back to life. All it takes is a drop of water and a little love. Shall I show you?
Take a look !
Materials
Supplied in the Blob Lab set
- A blob incubator (55 or 90 mm / 2,7 in or 3,54 in)
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 dormant blob sclerotia (Willy or Artemis)
To add
- A microwaveable container
- A little water
Optional
- Tweezers
💡 Tip: work with clean materials and wash your hands before starting.
3 keys to a happy blob
The blob is a strange organism, but also very easy to please. Here are 3 things you need to know to keep him comfortable:
- It likes humidity,
- It thrives best between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius (68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit), although it can cope with variations.
- It doesn’t like light. But don’t worry, it can still be exposed to light for about 1 hour a day without any consequences. Just avoid too much direct light.
Steps :
1. Prepare a welcoming den
📖 The "UFOs"
The air and objects around us contain bacterial and mold spores. To reactivate and grow, these spores are waiting for just one thing: to find a damp spot… the matrix of a blob, for example.
While the blob is happy to feast on certain bacteria and molds, there are others it dreads. And rightly so, as some of them can parasitize and make him ill.
To ensure that your blob is not disturbed in its home by UFOs (Uninvited Freeloading Organisms), you need to work with clean instruments.
Recipe: The authentic blob matrix
1
Fill the bottom of your incubator with water and pour it into a microwaveable container.
2
Mix 1g (or 1/2 scoop) of agar agar with the water.
3
Boil the mixture for 3 seconds in the microwave. Your matrix is ready, but be careful, it’s hot!
💡 Warning: never put the incubator directly into the microwave, as it will deform.
4
Pour the still-liquid matrix into the incubator, then close the lid and wait for the matrix to harden (approx. 15 minutes).
💡 Tip: To speed up the matrix hardening process, you can place it in the fridge. Avoid the freezer, however: should it freeze, your matrix would lose its gelling properties and you’d have to bring it to the boil again to reactivate them.
💡 The blob doesn’t like roommates. When you’re not handling the incubator, always close its lid: it protects your matrix from spores in the air (or in your spit).
📖 What is matrix powder made of?
Matrix powder is a very fine red seaweed powder of Japanese origin. It has the property of being able to trap up to 250 times its mass in water, provided you boil the two elements together.
As luck would have it, matrix powder, also known as “agar agar”, looks like a rare and exotic commodity, but today it’s available in most grocery stores and supermarkets, in the bakery section, for a price that is often derisory. Your grocer is probably unaware that he’s selling – much more than a simple cake gelling agent – a nest for myxomycian organisms.
💡 Did you know that a sleeping blob can patiently wait 2 years for the right conditions to awaken? Preserved at -80°C (-112°F), it can even remain viable for 30 years!
2. A perfect matrix
5
Check the texture of your matrix by tilting the incubator. It should hold together, not leak or change shape. You can also feel its surface with the back of a spoon or a (very) clean finger.
💡 The matrix hasn’t hardened and you’re sure you’ve been patient enough? No worries! Simply add a little agar-agar and boil the mixture again.
3. Wake up the blob
Your blob incubator is ready to receive a little one. But which one? Inside your pocket laboratory, several candidates are lying dormant, known as sclerotia.
Choose one and set the others aside in a dry, dark container.
💡 Avoid drama: Touch the walls of the incubator, they should be at room temperature. If you still feel heat coming off, wait a little longer. It’s a blob you’re going to put in there, not a tea bag.
6
Armed with your tweezers or dexterous (and clean!) fingers, gently grasp the chosen one and bring it into contact with the condensation formed under the lid of your incubator.
💡 Watch out, the blob likes humidity, not swimming! To do it right, simply let the water penetrate by capillary action the white filter paper used to support the sclerotia.
7
Place the moistened sclerotia on the matrix.
And voilà, your blob has landed! It’s a small step for the blob, but a giant leap for your curiosity.
4. Welcoming gifts
8
Show your peaceful intentions towards the blob by leaving a few offerings: a pinch of moistened oatmeal will be a nice surprise when he wakes up.
🧪 Quick experiment: how does the blob “see”?
Group your flakes in the same place, leaving a distance of 1 or 2 cm between them and the blob. This will test your blob’s chemoreception ability: it enables it to detect attractive chemical substances (such as oat molecules) that diffuse into the matrix. The blob will then orientate its movement to target the oatmeal directly and devour it!
9
Protect your blob from light by placing it in the Blob Lab set or in a drawer or cupboard.
The blob usually wakes up in 24 hours, sometimes in just a few.
So forget about it for a few hours and come back later. Maybe you’ll see the first pseudopod, a tiny little arm, rising towards the flakes…
5. Keep up the good work
- Once the blob has left its paper base, take the opportunity to remove it with tweezers.
- The blob will never completely remove the oats, as it only consumes the surface nutrients. Remove the oats left behind by the blob and add new flakes.
- Change the matrix every 1-2 days to avoid mold.
6. Film your blob
Have you ever wondered what your blob would look like if it could move at “human” speed?
Well, it’s possible: do a time lapse!
This simple video technique, easy to use for beginners, allows you to discover new and exciting behaviors of your blob, totally invisible to the naked eye.
All you need is a smartphone and the “Filming a blob” tutorial.
The art of filming the blob
Ready to blow up the box office? Lights, camera… action!
Once your discoveries are in the box, share your videos on social networks with #thebloblab!
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