Thursday, October 8, 2009

Worm Madness, Part 14

C. elegans is a nematode that is known for having its body absolutely transparent.  It also breeds and develops very quickly.  This makes it a perfect specimen for research.  Now scientists have discovered a single gene that controls the development of the throat.  In mutant worms where the gene had an error, the throat never developed.  “It was so beautiful, such a simple, clear phenotype and it suggested that this gene, pha-4, has a critical role for making the pharynx, and not just one of its cells but all the pharyngeal cells”, noticed one researcher, Susan Mango.

http://www.physorg.com/news174067013.html
By the way, this is probably the last Worm Madness installation.  I don't know for sure, however. 


-Brown Rhino

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