#roundworms

desmodora very very dizzy and very very confused

why? because of all the goop and the slop in the world. all the glop in the walls and the muck on the floors, in your brain and in your lungs. thinking about it drives her crazy yet she always thinks about it, because it's very hard to ignore!

you'd understand if you were a nematode

glorpiness rating: yet

what a lovely face!

illustration from nemaplex?

Ascaris

Two species of worms have retained remarkably similar patterns in the way they switch their genes on and off despite having split from a common ancestor 20 million years ago, a new study finds. The findings appear in the journal Science.

i used to carry this little bastard with me everywhere. its my sondaughter. i love this creature. everyone irl goes "is that a tapeworm!" AND I HAVE TO NEERRRRDDDD OUT AND SAY "erruhhm! actshewallyyy.... it's a PORK. ROUNDWORM." and its my stupid baby ok hi

The Worm (Caenorhabiditis elegans)

Distribution: Found in temperate regions worldwide.

Habitat: Terrestrial; lives in humid soils with moderate oxygen contents and low-to-medium clay contents.

Diet: Microbivorous; feed on bacteria that lives in soil and on rotting vegetation, but can also feed on various species of yeast.

Description: C. elegans is aptly nicknamed "the worm" because it is a very common laboratory model; in fact, it's used as the model organism for all eukaryotic organisms! These worms are very easy to study due to the transparency of their body, as well as their limited number of cells, having only 131 cells in their entire bodies. They were the first multicellular organisms to have their entire genome sequenced (as they only have 6 chromosomes and approximately 20,000 genes). Common research on these worms include the processes of embryogenesis, development, disease and aging (especially in the form of programmed cell death). By understanding how their genes are involved in the aging process, we can hopefully have a better idea of the processes involved in human aging, too!

Most of these worms are self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, though males are also present (composing only about 1/1000 worms). Though their anatomy is quite simple, they do possess a simple brain and nervous system (one third of their cells are neurons). They're also capable of rudimentary learning, as well as using chemoreceptors to orient themselves, and respond minimally to light (living in dark environments, they don't have much need for good eyesight).

(via Give roundworms some weed and they’ll get the munchies, study finds | Ars Technica)