SciShow Tangents

Worms

May 17, 2022
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INSIGHT

Worm Is A Catch-All Term

  • 'Worm' is not a scientific group but a catch-all for many unrelated body plans.
  • The worm shape evolved many times across different phyla, so 'worm' is slang not taxonomy.
INSIGHT

Convergent Evolution Creates Worm Forms

  • Multiple phyla (annelids, nematodes, platyhelminthes) independently show the long soft body plan.
  • Convergent evolution made similar 'worm' lifestyles across distant lineages.
INSIGHT

C. elegans Reveals Tiny Neurocontrol

  • Caenorhabditis elegans became a key model organism for genetics and neuroscience.
  • Its simplicity enabled discoveries like neuronal control of subregions of single muscle cells.
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