Scientists at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, in collaboration with Strameno Ltd., CEFAS, and the University of Stirling, discovered a new marine microorganism named Caledochytrium aldermanii. ^[1] A Reddit user with the nickname Runkyrunk uploaded a video showing his friend cleaning a strange, white object covered in slime found in a backyard. ^[2] Researchers observed that Caledochytrium aldermanii reproduces by developing a cavity within a mature cell to grow daughter cells before the mother cell bursts to release them. ^[3] The new microbe, Caledochytrium aldermanii, belongs to the Labyrinthulomycetes group and was identified in marine environments in Scotland. ^[4] Most commenters focused on the user's lack of caution in handling an unknown and potentially dangerous object with bare hands. ^[5] One commenter identified the object as a mushroom known as 'vesper' or 'common fly agaric', noting that it is sometimes called a 'witch's egg' due to medieval superstitions. ^[6] The microbe was found in association with octopuses and their lairs, as well as rainbow trout, and independently in a salt marsh on the eastern coast of Scotland. ^[7] A user jokingly suggested that the person should have rubbed the slime in their eyes and recorded the results as a scientific experiment. ^[8]