C. elegans

This week students learned about Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans is the scientific name for a small, non-parasitic roundworm that is being used by scientists worldwide as a genetic model to discover new things about development and disease. Since it is one of the simplest organisms with a nervous system, it makes a great model for researchers to study neural development in animals.

Students listened to a presentation describing C. elegans anatomy and development and had an opportunity to view these organisms under the light microscope. They were able to observe and draw worms in different stages of larval development and watch them move and feed. We learned that there is a lot more to worms than “eeew!”

Here is the video we watched in class that ended with a smile :)
A brief Intro to C. elegans, narrated (2:11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjqLwPgLnV0