Latest Worm Stories
By Melear, Claudia T Lunsford, Eddie Abstract. This article provides basic information on how a common species of earthworm, Eisenia fetida, can be used in the biology classroom as well as a discussion of how to establish and care for a vermicompost bin. We discuss ideas for inquiry activities with the organism and provide a sample-guided inquiry that demonstrates how a long-term, theme-based unit involving earthworms can address a wide variety of content from the National Science Education...
By Richard Nunnally, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Sep. 15--Q:I grow tomatoes every year and find those big green worms on them. Some have white lumps on their backs. I've heard they are some kind of eggs. Is that true? If so, are they harmful? Answer: The worms you're seeing are tomato hornworms. They are common and enjoy eating the leaves of tomato plants. The white lumps are the egg cases for a parasitic wasp. This wasp stings the worm and deposits its eggs on the worm's back. As the...
Smithsonian scientists have discovered a biodiversity bounty in the Eastern Pacific -- approximately 50 percent of the organisms found in some groups are new to science. The research team spent 11 days in the Eastern Pacific, a unique, understudied region off the coast of Panama. Coordinated by Rachel Collin of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, a team of Smithsonian scientists and international collaborators with expertise in snails, crabs, shrimp, worms, jellies and sea cucumbers...
By James GrubelCANBERRA -- Australian scientists have begun looking at smell sensors in worms and insects to help them build an electronic "cybernose" they hope will one day be capable of measuring aromas and flavors in wine.An electronic nose might also be used to check passengers for traces of explosives at the final ground check before boarding planes or trains.Head researcher Stephen Trowell said on Friday scientists believe they will be able to artificially copy the way worms...
By Gordon Bell CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Thousands of earthworms guzzle metric tons of scrap food left over from the tables of the rich and famous at South Africa's plush Mount Nelson hotel, quietly doing their bit to save the planet. Cape Town's oldest and most famous hotel -- a pink temple to pampering where visiting celebrities are welcomed by doormen in traditional colonial-era pith helmets -- has its own worm farm to help slash waste and, ultimately, tackle climate change. "This may...
By Gordon BellCAPE TOWN -- Thousands of earthworms guzzle metric tons of scrap food left over from the tables of the rich and famous at South Africa's plush Mount Nelson hotel, quietly doing their bit to save the planet.Cape Town's oldest and most famous hotel -- a pink temple to pampering where visiting celebrities are welcomed by doormen in traditional colonial-era pith helmets -- has its own worm farm to help slash waste and, ultimately, tackle climate change."This may seem simplistic...
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A species of worm that thrives on undersea hot-water vents prefers the hottest water possible, choosing to live at temperatures that kill other animals, researchers reported on Thursday. Their unique abilities to withstand hot water shooting like a geyser from hydrothermal openings may help the stalk-like worms prey on bacteria that other animals cannot reach, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal...
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A species of worm that thrives on undersea hot-water vents prefers the hottest water possible, choosing to live at temperatures that kill other animals, researchers reported on Thursday. Their unique abilities to withstand hot water shooting like a geyser from hydrothermal openings may help the stalk-like worms prey on bacteria that other animals cannot reach, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal...
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science CorrespondentWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A species of worm that thrives on undersea hot-water vents prefers the hottest water possible, choosing to live at temperatures that kill other animals, researchers reported on Thursday.Their unique abilities to withstand hot water shooting like a geyser from hydrothermal openings may help the stalk-like worms prey on bacteria that other animals cannot reach, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal...
PARADISE, Wash. (AP) - A tiny worm that lives in glaciers and snowfields is drawing attention for what it could reveal about life on other planets. The ice worm inhabits glacial regions in the coastal ranges of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. The odd creature easily moves through ice, is liveliest near the freezing point of water and dissolves into a goo when warmed. There's been increased interest in ice worms and other animals whose glacial habitat could disappear within...
Latest Worm Reference Libraries
Vermicompost is composting with the use of special earthworms. Red wigglers and white worms are the more common worms used, although European night crawlers can be used as well. Red wigglers can be found living in manure piles and in rotting vegetation and adapt the best in covered worm bins. Common earthworms burrow deeply and are not recommended for use in compost bins. Blue worms are commonly used in the tropics. Worms are used to decompose vegetable and food waste along with bedding...
The Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a species of small, tube-building polychaete worm in the Serpulidae family. It is widely distributed throughout the world’s tropical oceans, occurring abundantly from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific. The worm’s common and scientific nomenclature refers to the two chromatically hued spiral structures, most prominently seen by divers. These multicolored spiral structures are actually part of the worm’s highly derived respiratory...
The Giant Feather Duster Worm (Eudistylia polymorpha) is a species of marine polychaete worm of the Sabellidae family. Its range extends along the western coast of North America, from Alaska to California. It is most commonly found in the intertidal zone in tide pools and in the neritic (coastal) zone at depths up to 1,375 feet. It is often found in groups along rocks, reefs, pilings, wharves and marinas. Its common name comes from the crown of tentacles extended when the animal is under...
The Bobbit Worm (Eunice aphroditois) is a species of aquatic polychaete worm found on the ocean floor at depths of 33 to 130 feet. It is only found in the Indo-Pacific oceanic region. This predatory organism buries its long body in gravel, mud or corals in the ocean bed, where it waits patiently for prey food to touch one of its five antennae. When touched, the worm, armed with razor sharp teeth shoots out at its attacker with such speed that it sometimes slices the prey in half. Little is...
The Giant Thorny-headed Worm (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus) is a species of acanthocephalan parasite found in the intestines of pigs and other hoofed animals, and can occasionally appear in humans and dogs. The eggs of this parasite are usually found in scarabaeoid or hydrophilid beetles and other similar insects. Worms of this species range in size from less than four-hundredths of an inch to over 15 inches. It causes enteritis, gastritis or peritonitis in affected hosts. While it...
