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wormcast.bsky.social
Wormcast
@wormcast.bsky.social
13 followers 17 following 11 posts
An account chronicling a self-funded PhD student and science communicator who is currently diving headfirst into the wonderful and weird world of soil biology, intermixed with science stories in bite sized chunks with the odd piece of artistic flare.
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[On the Diet of Worms]

Have you ever pondered upon the "Diet of Worms" (and no not that one...)

This is actually a rather interesting topic for example did you know earthworms have a wide range of diets, and can be rather picky eaters?
[“On the diet of worms”] Have you ever pondered upon the "diet of worms" (and no not the famous 16th century theological grilling of the protestant founder Martin Luther). For example did you know that earthworms are very picky eaters and different species have a range of different diets ranging from leaves to soil to poo (including their own) to all of the above combined (Curry, J.P., Schmidt, O., 2007). They even have particular preferences within those diets such as preferring leaves contaminated by specific microbes (Cooke, A. and Luxton, M., 1981)(Cooke, J., 1983) or soil with specific carbon isotope ratios (Melody, C. and Schmidt, O., 2012). References: Cooke, A. and Luxton, M., 1981. Effect of microbes on food selection by Lumbricus terrestris. Cooke, J., 1983. The effects of fungi on food selection by Lumbricus terrestris L. In Earthworm ecology: from Darwin to vermiculture (pp. 365-373). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. Curry, J.P., Schmidt, O., 2007. The feeding ecology of earthworms - A review. Pedobiologia 50, 463-477. Melody, C. and Schmidt, O., 2012. Northward range extension of an endemic soil decomposer with a distinct trophic position. Biology Letters, 8(6), pp.956-959.
October 6, 2026 at 10:39 AM
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"Octopus inspired fashion"

Did you know researchers created a new material mimics octopus skin to change colour and texture.

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[“Octopus inspired fashion"] Octopodes change skin colour and texture by contracting and relaxing tiny pockets in their skin known as chromatophores. This ingenious mechanism has inspired researchers (Nature) to create material which can adapt its colour and texture in a similar way to octopodes. The material functions by filling multiple tiny pockets with varying levels of water and exposing them to different intensities of irradiation via an electron beam. The pockets exposed colour and shape alter depending on the combination of water saturation and irradiation. This causes in overall appearance of the material to change texture and colour. At present the current material requires immersion large quantities of fluid to operate, however, the researchers propose the incorporation of gold nanoparticles or micro-liquid channels similar to iPads to allow creation of more portable and efficient versions. Reference: Doshi, S., Güsken, N.A., Dijk, G., Carlström, J., Ortiz-Cárdenas, J.E., Suzuki, P., Li, B., Fordyce, P.M., Salleo, A., Melosh, N.A. and Brongersma, M.L., 2026. Soft photonic skins with dynamic texture and colour control. Nature, 649(8096), pp.345-352.
September 29, 2026 at 12:21 PM
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[Hic sunt vermes!]
(Here be worms!)

Did you know that there is 5000 different types of earthworm and come in a wide range of shapes colours and sizes?
["Hic cunt vermes!"] 16th century fans may be familiar with the phrase “here be dragons”, referring to magical serpent-like creatures residing just beyond the horizon. As far-flung shores were once the new frontier now is the turn of soil and “here be worms”. For example did you know there are actually over 5000 different types of earthworm, occurring in a range of colours ranging from Red, green, white, pink, blue, and even dark blue with white and orange spots. Their sizes are equally varied with the smallest spanning only 0.5 mm (Chaetogaster annandalei) whilst the largest, the giant Gippsland earthworm (Megascolides australis), spanning up to 3-meters. A fun example of how much left there is to explore is that this 5000 species may only be scratching the surface. A new study analysed historical rates of earthworm discovery along with the number of researchers currently sampling earthworm communities. They predicted that the number of earthworm species currently known, totalling 5,679 species, may only represent 20% of the actual number, placing the global estimate conservatively at 30,000 species. References: Decaëns, T., Brown, G.G., Cameron, E.K., Csuzdi, C., Eisenhauer, N., Gerard, S., Goulpeau, A., Hedde, M., James, S.W., Lapied, E. and Maggia, M.E., 2024. A can of worms: estimating the global number of earthworm species. bioRxiv, pp.2024-09.
September 18, 2026 at 5:34 PM
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Did you know Bowhead whales can live for over 200 years in the wild.

But how do they achieve their famously long lifespans, and how they may inform our own quest for longevity?

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Bowhead whales can live for over 200 years in the wild. Indeed there have been many reports of 21st century adult bowheads found with 19th century harpoons embedded in their bodies. New research (Nature) has revealed how Bowhead whales achieve their famously long lifespans, and how they may inform our own quest for longevity. As we age our cells experience more DNA damage and less effective repair mechanisms, culminating in the accumulation of damaged DNA and deleterious mutations over time, and causing age related diseases. Damaged cells are targeted and destroyed by the body however this often results in excess damage to surrounding cells further increasing the effects of aging. A new study, has revealed how Bowhead whales instead utilise enhanced DNA repair mechanisms to prevent age-related disease. This study found that Bowhead whales exhibited increased double strand DNA repair and reduced mutation rate, ultimately reducing the effects of cellular aging. This enhanced DNA repair was as a result of a unique protein produced by Bowheads known as Cold-Inducible RNA Binding Protein (CIRBP). Bowhead whale fibroblasts and tissue cells were found to exhibit high expression of CIRBP. The researchers then investigated whether this protein could be of benefit to other species. Fruit flies genetically edited to express CRIBP exhibited increased longevity and irradiation resistance. But what about in humans? The researchers expressed CIRBP in human cells in a petri dish (i.e. in vitro). Bowhead CIRBP was found to enhanced nonhomologous end joining and homologous recombination repair in human cells, reduced micronuclei formation, promoted DNA end protection, and stimulate end joining, all of which contributed to enhanced DNA repair and reduced cellular aging (at least in a petri dish). Reference: Firsanov, D., Zacher, M., Tian, X. et al. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09694-5
September 14, 2026 at 10:43 AM
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Look who's Listening!

Didi you know that gifted dogs can eavesdrop on human conversations to identify objects under discussion.

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[Look who’s listening!] Like humans there are also intellectually gifted dogs. Gifted-dogs have extensive vocabularies comprising many different object labels, making them particularly useful assistance animals. However, new research (Science) reveals even greater linguistic understanding in our canine companions. Researchers exposed gifted-dogs to two treatments, one where dogs hear a toys name while actively playing with it, and another where the toys name was described between their owners but not during play. Gifted-dogs could distinguish between toys they were actively introduced to and those they had only overheard being described. Interestingly, this suggests that gifted-dogs may have language recognition comparable to 18-month-old children. Reference: Babineau, M., Barbir, M., de Carvalho, A., Havron, N., Dautriche, I. and Christophe, A., 2024. Syntactic bootstrapping as a mechanism for language learning. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3(7), pp.463-474.
September 4, 2026 at 4:20 PM
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Fossilized tracks reveal how sight may have evolved earlier than believed.

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"Not so aimless ambling" Sight was thought to have evolved during the Cambrian explosion 538 million years ago, with animals predating this period aimlessly ambling around by touch. However, new research (PNAS) into fossilized tracks made by earlier animals suggests sight may have being evolving earlier than previously thought. Researchers analysed the fossilised tracks of 250 organisms dating back up to 635 million years ago to the late Ediacaran. They found that earlier fossilised tracks tended to exhibit more random paths while later tracks exhibited more deliberate exploratory paths consistent with navigating using longer range senses such as vision. This revealed a clear evolutionary progression from “aimless ambling” by touch to “targeted travel” by sight and smell, and suggest that the evolution of vision may have been well in motion earlier than previously thought.   Reference: Wang, Z. and Shi, T., 2026. Trace fossils constrain the perceptual ranges of the earliest motile animals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(23), p.e2609730123.
August 29, 2026 at 3:11 PM
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Did you know that the Indian Blue Worms ability to repeatedly regrow its head can be used to speed wound recovery in other animals.

Please Note: Cutting one earthworm in half results in one dead (or mildly irritated) earthworm

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"Healing Heads" Extracellular vesicles from the heads of Indian blue worms helped mice fibroblasts heal wounds faster. Extra cellular vesicles (EV’s) are tiny cellular packages that are involved in intercellular communication in earthworms by acting as couriers delivering messages in the form of signalling molecules to different cells in the earthworms’ body. Some of these signalling molecules delivered by EVs are known to stimulate tissue regeneration. However, a study in suggests this regenerative capacity could potentially be utilised to aid wound recovery. 100 Indian blue worms “Perionyx excavates” had their heads decapitated (E.G., from segment 1-10) and left to regenerate for five days. After five days the partially regenerated stumpy head (i.e. the anterior blastema) were again decapitated. The severed heads and anterior blastemas were then subjected to a variety of sequencing and fluorescent assays to determine the relative concentrations of regenerative markers within their EVs. miRNA and mRNA analysis revealed anterior blastema derived EV’s exhibited increased concentrations of regenerative markers compared to anterior head derived EVs. To assess whether these EVs could stimulate regeneration in other animals, Mice fibroblasts were cultured on petri dishes and treated with EVs. The fibroblast cultures were then manually sliced to create a wound and left to heal. This revealed that Mice fibroblasts treated with EVs (both head and blastema) exhibited enhanced cellular regeneration and wound closure compared to controls. Reference: Subramaniam, R., Selvan Christyraj, J.R.S., Rossan Mathews, M.G., Venkatachalam, S. and Yesudhason, B.V., 2026. Regenerating Earthworm-Derived
August 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
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"Mapping the fungal frontier"

Fungal networks usually reside underground and as such they can prove awkward to observe and map.

However, new research has predicted the potential global spread of Arboreal-Mycorrhizal fungi with some amazing results.

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Arboreal-mycorrhizal fungi (AM) consist of sprawling networks of string-like hyphae and play vital roles in regulating soil ecosystems. However, their true distribution is unknown, primarily due to soil tending to inhibit their observation. To predict their potential distribution researchers fed data from 322 studies investigating AM fungi into a machine learning model, which then created a theoretical global map of AM fungal densities. The model estimated that earths topsoils contain 110 quadrillion km of fungal hyphae equivalent to ¾ billion return journeys from the earth to the sun and collectively weighing ~300 megatons. The researchers hope the map could be used to locate potentially understudied fungal habitats around the globe. Reference: Justin D. Stewart et al. ,Global density and biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks.Science392,1171-1176(2026).DOI:10.1126/science.adu4373
August 5, 2026 at 9:47 AM
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"Digging under Dinosaurs"

Did you know that earthworms evolved when some of the largest dinosaurs were roaming the earth in the lower cretaceous?

Did you also know that earthworms may have entered a bit of a boom period after the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs?

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“Digging under dinosaurs” According to recent genomic analyses (Domínguez, J., et al 2015) Earthworms may have first evolved in the lower cretaceous period approximately 114.2–137.1 Mya alongside some of the largest dinosaurs to ever live. It has also been suggested that earthworms may have flourished following the meteor impact that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago (evidenced by fossilized burrows) and may have provided a rich enough nutritional source to allow surviving predators such as small mammals and birds to survive the post-impact extinction (Chin, K. et al 2013). References: Chin, K., Pearson, D. and Ekdale, A.A., 2013. Fossil worm burrows reveal very early terrestrial animal activity and shed light on trophic resources after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. PLoS One, 8(8), p.e70920. Domínguez, J., Aira, M., Breinholt, J.W., Stojanovic, M., James, S.W. and Pérez-Losada, M., 2015. Underground evolution: new roots for the old tree of lumbricid earthworms. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 83, pp.7-19.
July 29, 2026 at 8:04 AM
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#Wormcastings is a feature where I post weekly science stories from biology to astronomy (not just worms...but definitely some) in nice bite sized chunks for "Professors and Punters" alike along with the odd bit of scientific art work (to allow me to indulge my frustrated artist working in STEM).
July 28, 2026 at 5:41 PM