No sooner had life evolved than it began to ooze. The only clues are a few faint traces left in ancient rocks. If you're squeamish, this is not the place for you. I don't mean to be rude. It's just that plastic carrier bags are made from a material which, when melted, is as slimy a substance as you will ever rub between finger and thumb.
Most slimes are tangles of long, chainlike polymer molecules.
Molten LDPE is thick and slippery, like all good slimes. LDPE's exceptional sliminess doesn't just make it a useful material. In the process of understanding it, chemists and physicists have worked out how many other polymer slimes work. Just last year, one group confirmed a theory that explains LDPE's peculiar properties, and using this knowledge they have begun to develop an array of artificial slimes with everyday uses that range from hair care to plastics to sticking plasters. It's all a matter of the molecules' shape.