On the ocean floor, mouthless worms are quietly dismantling whale skeletons using acid-secreting roots and an unlikely ...

Threadlike worms living in the guts of certain insects make their hosts jump into water and drown. What scientists knew about these parasites resembling strands of spaghetti was already pretty bizarre ...

Cholesterol and phytosterol are sterols, fatty compounds essential for many biological processes such as the functioning of cell membranes. Up to now, it has been assumed that phytosterols are ...

In a world full of bizarre animals, hairworms are some of the strangest. Hairworms are parasitic worms that manipulate the behavior of their hosts in what's sometimes called "mind control." Hairworms ...

Volcanic landscapes look hostile to life, yet some worms are not just surviving in these extremes, they are flourishing. From deep-sea vents that should boil flesh to toxic volcanic soils on land, ...

Researchers have recently discovered a new species of worm that can infect tarantulas, and have named the worm Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi. Why? After actor Jeff Daniels, of course, the hero who saves a ...

Hungry worms are more willing than satiated worms to cross a toxic barrier of copper to reach the scent of a meal. While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that hunger can make animals act ...

Scientists have discovered that a well-preserved fossilized worm dating from 518 million years ago resembles the ancestor of three major groups of living animals. Measuring half-an-inch long, the ...