Researchers from Princeton University have reported that after the Caenorhabditis elegans worms ate a disease-causing strain of bacteria, its progeny were born with the ‘knowledge’ to avoid making the same mistake for up to four generations.
Researchers fondly call the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans “the worm” because of its widespread use in research to understand neuronal and molecular biology.
It was the first multicellular organism to have its full genome sequenced and neural wiring mapped. C. elegans grows within 3-5 days from a fertilised egg to a millimetre-long adult.
C. elegans has informed profound insights into the human body, as well as biology more broadly.
Given the mechanism by which this transmission occurs, the study raises questions about whether humans could have the same ability as the P. aeruginosa bacteria also cause disease in humans.