Researchers’ understanding of color ‘spent’ by an eyeless worm

Mar 05, 2021 02:47 PM EST

The Caenorhabditis elegans, perhaps the most famous hero in the world is a microscopic round worm, these duct – shaped creatures, which thrive on decaying vegetation, may first appear dull. But this little animal helped humanity in several ways.

NASA researchers are transporting C. elegans to space to test the effects of massive muscle loss. They are classified as favorable organism models to study the development of age and disease.

At 1millimeter long, its transparent body allows researchers to analyze molecular and cellular processes. But researchers may have just discovered another of the main powers of this organism.

The latest investigation reveals the mystery

A recent study published in the journal Science Thursday finds that C. elegans can differentiate between colors even though they do not have opsins or eyes – a colorless, light-responsive protein . The study was conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University.

A postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and corresponding author of the study Dixon Ghosh explained that this interior shows that the worms were susceptible to the color of light in their habitat. “

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How were they able to accomplish this miracle?

The scientists tested how these round worms prevented a harmful blue color called pyocyanin by using white light. The scientists first tested whether a non-toxic blue dye, mixed with white light, could prevent the roundworm from inhibiting the artificial substance – related to its use of white light. to avoid the blue pyocyanin.

Ghosh explained; “We wanted to find out what the element of the poisonous blue pigment pyocyanin was – its harmful nature or its color was known to stop the worm. colorless, harmless and clear toxin, but not alone. ”

Movement behind the biological reactions of the Roundworm

The researchers wanted to understand the reason behind the biological reactions of the globe. The difference in the response of round worms to the colorless toxin and non-toxic blue dye provided the scientists with the necessary information to proceed with the experiment.

Ghosh reveals the result reveals to us that the worms studied both pyocyanin color and toxic nature when they agreed not to eat their food.

The second stage in the experiment involved altering the white light to produce a similar view of the toxic bacteria. Would the worms continue under these conditions to avoid the similar pyocyanin?

Ghosh further explained: “We wanted to see if we could mimic bacterial pigmentation by simply changing the color of the light. We introduced blue filters that change the color of the light we used. to a color more like the blue of the pigment. ”

The sediment light

They found one set of bacteria to light sediment light and another light without rubbing. The worms that absorbed the sediment light escaped the bacteria, and the other group of worms remained on the bacteria. This result shows us that worms tended to be the color of light in their habitat,

Eventually, the scientists used two LED lights to harden the stakes and to confirm their detection: one amber and one blue. Amber was used in an experiment to reproduce the ambient lighting setting. Ghosh clarified: “we’ve found that even if we find the worm to true absolute energy, some blue-amber color compounds inhibit worms but others do not.”

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