ANIMAL NEWS - WORM CAN REGROW NEW HEAD AND KEEP OLD MEMORIES

The humble but fascinating little worm can do what we think is impossible - grow a new head and keep his old memories

 

The small planarian work can have his head cut off and regenerate a new one. His new head contains memories from the old one, suggesting that his memories are stored in another part of the body.

 

Researchers from Tufts University in Boston tested the memory of the planarian worms by measuring how long it took them to reach food in a lab environment.  These worms had been trained to ignore the bright lights in the lab so they could find their meals without being distracted, and the scientists found that even after decapitation worms remembered their training. Not only that, but the worms grew another head in only two weeks.

Read more and see pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2360286/Meet-small-yellow-worm-REGROW-head--old-memories.html



RELATED:

CHARLES DARWIN FOUND WORMS TO BE INTELLIGENT

Charles Darwin was fascinated with the study of worms.  He found that they had a certain amount of intelligence. 

 

He spent considerable time observing how earthworms pulled leaves into their burrows. They plugged the burrow openings, in Darwin’s opinion, to keep out chilled air. Darwin found they most often pulled leaves in by their tips, which is the most efficient method. When he substituted paper triangles for leaves, he noted the majority of earthworms drew them down their burrows by the apex. This led Darwin to state that worms have some degree of intelligence.

 

Darwin’s book also chronicled early New Zealand earthworm research. He mentions that worms appear to act in the same manner in New Zealand as in Europe, referring to earthworms’ ability to slowly cover objects left on the ground with their casts.

 

He published his findings in 1881 in a book titled The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms, with Observations of their Habits. The book sold 6000 copies in its first year, selling faster than On the Origin of Species had when it was first published.

Read more - http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Earthworms/Charles-Darwin-and-earthworms