These Solar-Powered Carnivorous Flatworms Divide and Conquer | Deep Look
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Published 2024-03-26
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DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED in San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.
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Researchers are studying a species of tiny marine flatworm called an acoel that has some surprisingly amazing abilities, despite being smaller than a grain of rice.
“They have two very obvious superpowers,” says Dania Nanes Sarfati, a researcher at Stanford University who studies acoels.
“They are able to regenerate any part of their body. And they also have a very intimate relationship with algae that they keep inside their bodies that they exchange energy and other nutrients with. When you look at them, they just look like a little worm, but if you look inside you can see there's this green photosynthetic algae that are living between the acoel cells.”
In addition to catching prey to eat, acoels will flatten themselves out in sunny spots so that their photosynthetic internal algae can absorb sunshine.
“It’s like they’re on vacation every day,” says Nanes Sarfati.
--- What are acoels?
Acoels are a group of small, simple, soft-bodied flatworms that mostly live in marine environments. Acoels lack a permanent but they do have a mouth that they use to eat prey.
--- What do acoels eat?
Acoels eat tiny prey like planktonic plants and animals that float in the water. An acoel will expand its head like a net to engulf its prey and then jam its meal into its mouth.
--- How do you pronounce acoel?
Acoel is pronounced “a seal.”
---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:
www.kqed.org/science/1991736/these-solar-powered-c…
---+ For more information:
Acoels by Sarah J. Bourlat and Andreas Hejnol
www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(09)007…
Sikes Lab at University of San Francisco
sikesj61.wixsite.com/sikeslab
Dania Nanes Sarfati
biox.stanford.edu/people/dania-nanes-sarfati
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All Comments (21)
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Forbidden cornflakes
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Tardigrade: I'm immortal! Acoels: Hold my poop!
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I'm not overweight... I'm overpopulated.
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Whenever there is a flatworm, there's almost always a scalpel. It's almost like a symbiotic relationship. 😆
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Flatworm math: 1 - ½ = 3 👌
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Idk why but flatworms are weirdly cute to me, like their lil faces are adorable
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>be flatworm >get ripped in half lengthwise >relatively minor injury >regenerate 300% life is good
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I don't like flatworms but for this orange cornflakes, I'll give an exception
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Well. * pushes bowl of corn flakes away *
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1:15 "you wouldn't kiss a butt" Oh, Laura, sweet summer child Laura...
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When someone says flatworms, what usually comes to mind is like, tapeworms or the hammerhead worm which is invasive and nasty. These are....kind of cute.
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the fact that the butt splits into TWO heads, is just, as horrifying as it is awesome
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Man, i just love these solar powered, immortal, poop spitting, orange sea cornflakes.
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You always amaze me with strange creatures that I never knew existed on Earth
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Wow, organisms like this make me excited to learn what alien life will look like. Surely unrecognizable in many cases!
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The activity of a reef looks more like a city then a rain forest
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Dancing acoel 0:18 Edit: - Acoel: "NUH UH-"
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That very first image reminds me of the Hungry, Hungry Hippos game. Lol
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The sound effects this episode are golden!
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I can't begin to imagine the knowledge we'll gain from studying these.
