Individually, California blackworms are living an unremarkable life consuming microorganisms in ponds and serving as tropical fish meals for aquarium lovers. But collectively, tens, hundreds, or thousands of the centimetre-extensive creatures can collaborate to type a “worm blob,” a shape-shifting dwelling liquid that collectively safeguards its customers from drying out and aids them escape threats these types of as extreme warmth.
Significant groups of California blackworms type “worm blobs” that build collective behaviors that make improvements to the survival of people organisms. (Credit: Christopher Moore, Ga Tech)
Whilst other organisms type collective flocks, schools, or swarms for these types of applications as mating, predation, and security, the Lumbriculus variegatus worms are unusual in their skill to braid them selves collectively to accomplish jobs that unconnected people are unable to.
A new research described by scientists at the Ga Institute of Technological know-how describes how the worms self-arrange to act as