New York City Traffic Team Bio

Vehiculum discoideum: An uncommon relative of the common cellular slime mold,
Dictyostelium discoideum. Vehiculum discoideum (common name: Traffic) has a similar
lifestyle in many ways. Comprised of a number of discrete, single-celled organisms, the
individual creatures spend most of their lives as separate amoeboid protists engaged in
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, upon the release of certain chemicals
or temporal triggers, the individual members mysteriously begin to congregate, interact,
and form a remarkable multi-cellular organism capable of a number of different group
activities. Two of the temporal triggers, Praeclarus certamenis (excellent contests) or
Praeclarus exercitare (excellent training) seem to occur more often in the warmer
months, but examples can be found through the year. These events incite the individual
cells to journey to a location, incorporate into the multi-cellular form, and engage
in vigorous motion and physical activity for between two hours and two days. The
plasmodium performs an intricate juggling act involving a pie-shaped piece of plastic
during this time before slumping into a torpor and dispersing. It is currently unknown
how the location is determined, but it appears some form of electo-mechanical or electro-audio
signaling is involved over great distances. H5C2OH, or simple ethanol, is one of the chemical
triggers that seem to also cause the formation of the multi-cellular entity. However, instead
of vigorous physical activity, the cellular units descend into dark, cave-like or box-like
structures and metabolize large amounts of ethanol and other organic compounds. The behavior
is similar to the Helops compotatio (fish drinking), but the two species are completely unrelated.
Indeed, it's tribute to the many varied forms of higher life that occupy the planet and an
excellent example of convergent evolution from different kingdoms. While rare in urban environments,
Vehiculum discoideum can be spotted in parks or fields in the multi-cellular form. The
individual cells are almost impossible to detect without specialized tools, but occur almost everywhere
in small amounts. An odd sense of humor, strange musical tastes, and a curious personality are clues,
but the best indicator is a strong affinity for plastic.

Slime Mold

Traffic