WOrM Podcast: Whole Organism Analytics Podcast

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re looking at a paper that doesn’t answer a biological question. Instead, it builds the tools to answer thousands of biological questions in the future. The ambition? To fluorescently tag every protein encoded by the C. elegans genome.   ⸻ 🧬 The big idea We already have remarkable gene expression atlases based on RNA. But RNA isn’t the w...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we're talking about a worm with teeth. And a nervous system that has been rewired — by evolution — to become aggressive. ⸻ 🧬 The central idea Pristionchus pacificus is a predatory nematode. It kills C. elegans larvae. Sometimes for food. Sometimes just to remove a competitor. But how does its brain decide to attack? ⸻ 🔬 What's actu...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re talking about something unexpected. A bioplastic — something we usually think of as sustainable, useful, even beneficial — can kill a worm. ⸻ 🧬 The central idea Some bacteria produce a polymer called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) . It’s a carbon storage material. A bioplastic. But when C. elegans eats bacteria packed with PHB — it dies.  ...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re looking at something deceptively simple: a turn . But not just that a worm turns — how the brain decides to do it. ⸻ 🧬 The central idea Turning in C. elegans is not a reflex. It’s a sequence . A structured, repeatable pattern of neural activity that links: • sensation • decision • and movement into a single behavioural output. ⸻ 🔬 Wh...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we flip the usual perspective. We often think about how the environment shapes the worm. But what if the worm is shaping the environment? ⸻ 🧬 The central idea C. elegans doesn’t just respond to microbes — it actively reshapes microbial communities . Across a naturalistic “boom-to-bust” lifecycle, worm populations: • expand rapidly • consume...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re talking about something fundamental — feeding behaviour — but through a lens you might not expect. Not calories. Not food availability. But fat composition . ⸻ 🧬 The central idea In C. elegans , feeding isn’t just about energy — it’s about lipid balance . Specifically, the ratio of: • saturated fatty acids (SFAs) • and monounsaturated...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re looking at something surprisingly familiar in worm biology: alcohol . But not just exposure — we’re talking about behaviour, tolerance, withdrawal, and how core neurotransmitter systems shape all of it. ⸻ 🧬 The central question What actually happens when a worm is exposed to ethanol? Not just in terms of movement — but across: • behav...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱🎬 Today we’re stepping slightly outside the lab… but not too far. We’re asking a serious question with absolutely no serious consequences: If there were an Oscar for Best Giant Movie Worm , who would win? ⸻ 🪱 From soil to cinema Worms in biology are elegant, transparent, genetically tractable. Worms in film? They’re enormous. They’re apocalyptic....

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we return to a core question in worm biology: when stress extends lifespan, what is really doing the work? Is it damage repair? Is it signalling rewiring? Or is it something more coordinated at the whole-organism level? In this episode we explore new insights into how longevity pathways intersect with stress signalling in C. elegans , and wh...

Today we’re talking about a molecule that keeps popping up in “healthy ageing” conversations: cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) 🍄 But instead of vague claims, we’re going to ground this in C. elegans data — lifespan, stress resistance, movement, oxidative stress markers, and what happens to lipids along the way. ⸻ 🧬 What’s the question? Cordycepin is linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neu...

Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱 Today we’re doing something a little different. If you already know C. elegans — and I know you do — then you’ll know that timing is everything ⏱️ Development, behaviour, signalling, lifespan… it all depends on having worms at the right stage, at the right time. So this episode is all about synchronisation . ⸻ 🪱 Why synchronisation matters Whethe...

What if living longer isn’t just about fixing broken mitochondria—but about how the organism responds to that stress? In this episode, we dig into a 2025 Nature Communications paper that reframes a classic ageing story in C. elegans . Instead of the usual focus on mitochondrial protein quality control, this study shows that lifespan extension from mitochondrial translation inhibition is driven by...

How do you hunt for pain-sensing genes in an octopus — and then test what they do in a nematode? In this episode, we explore a cross-species strategy that mines the Octopus vulgaris transcriptome for candidate nociceptors, then functionally probes a subset using Caenorhabditis elegans behaviour. Using conserved nociception pathways as a guide, the authors identify candidate genes with C. elegans o...

In this episode of the WOrM Podcast , we explore how plant-parasitic nematodes rarely act alone. Focusing on nematode–pathogen disease complexes , this episode examines how interactions between nematodes, microbes, and host plants lead to more severe disease outcomes than any single pathogen could cause on its own. Drawing on examples spanning bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, and viruses, we look at wh...

In this end-of-year episode of the WOrM Podcast , we explore a seasonal but scientifically grounded idea: a Christmas recipe for worms . Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, this episode examines how food-derived compounds — often associated with festive spices and treats — are used experimentally to probe ageing, stress resistance, and metabolic regulation. The focus is firmly on mec...

How does a one-millimetre worm help win four Nobel Prizes? In this episode, we explore how C. elegans became one of the most influential organisms in modern biology — not because of its size, but because of its community. Researchers, beginning with Sydney Brenner’s vision, built an ecosystem of radical openness : shared strains, shared annotations, shared tools, shared knowledge. This culture pow...

Can a tiny dose of caffeine help a worm live longer? In this episode, we explore how C. elegans responds to the world’s favourite stimulant. Researchers show that low-dose caffeine extends lifespan , while higher doses flip into toxicity — revealing a fine balance between metabolic stress, development, and purinergic signalling. We cover: How small amounts of caffeine boost survival in C. elegans...

How do you make a nanoparticle that tells you where it is and helps at the same time? In this episode, we dive into the chemistry behind polydiacetylene (PDA) —a polymer that changes colour when it senses temperature, pH, or stress. Researchers combined PDA with biodegradable poly(glycerol adipate) to create self-reporting nanoparticles that: Change colour from blue to red under stress or heat Tra...

How can a worm’s intestine influence its descendants’ lifespan? This episode explores how lysosomes send metabolic signals through the epigenome to extend longevity across generations. Researchers found that activating lysosomal lipid metabolism triggers transcriptional up-regulation of a histone variant, H3.3 (his-71) , in the intestine. This histone is transported to the germ line, where it’s me...

In this episode, we dive into a new version of WormGazer as described in a recent GeroScience paper. This implementation automates movement monitoring in C. elegans populations as a rapid healthspan measure, offering a shortcut to detect ageing interventions and trade-offs. Highlights include: • Monitoring multiple Petri dishes in parallel with cameras and image analysis over 7–14 days  • Showing...

Is a wiring diagram enough to understand the brain? In this episode, we dive into how researchers combined whole-brain optogenetic stimulation with calcium imaging in C. elegans to reveal functional neural connections that go beyond the traditional connectome. Key insights include: A new functional atlas built from ~23,000 neuron pair experiments How neuropeptides and extrasynaptic signals contrib...

Worms without eyes shouldn’t see colour — yet C. elegans can. In this episode, we dive into a landmark study that shows how worms use blue-to-amber light ratios to make foraging decisions. When exposed to toxic blue pigments like pyocyanin , worms avoid them — but only under white light. The twist? They do it all without opsins. We explore: How worms detect and avoid blue-pigment-secreting P. aeru...

How does a worm know what’s good for dinner? In this episode, we uncover how C. elegans can distinguish between helpful and harmful microbes — and it’s all down to polyamines . These microbe-produced metabolites act like scent beacons, guiding worms to nutritious bacteria like E. coli while steering them away from pathogens. We explore: How chemosensory neurons detect polyamines like cadaverine an...

Why do C. elegans lay eggs only when food is around? In this episode, we explore a newly uncovered neuromodulatory circuit that links food detection to reproductive behaviour using a clever form of disinhibition . At the heart of this is the AVK interneuron — silenced by dopamine when food is present — which normally blocks egg-laying until conditions are right. We unpack: How AVK neurons act as g...

In this episode, we dive into a milestone in C. elegans systems biology — the first application of SILAC-style metabolic proteome labelling in a whole animal. By feeding worms lysine auxotroph E. coli labelled with heavy lysine (Lys8), researchers enabled quantitative proteomics with precision typically reserved for cell culture. But it gets better — they made it RNAi compatible , allowing side-by...