Slime mould electronic oscillators

We construct electronic oscillator from acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum. The slime mould oscillator is made of two electrodes connected by a protoplasmic tube of the living slime mould. A protoplasmic tube has an average resistance of 3 MOhm. The tube's resistance is changing over time due to peristaltic contractile activity of the tube. The resistance of the protoplasmic tube oscillates with average period of 73 s and average amplitude of 0.6 MOhm. We present experimental laboratory results on dynamics of Physarum oscillator under direct current voltage up to 15 V and speculate that slime mould P. polycephalum can be employed as a living electrical oscillator in biological and hybrid circuits. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved