What goes on in a worm hotel?
Matt Churgin, a post-doc in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the purpose of the WorMotel.
Vocabulary: nematode, model organism, control, proxy
Next Generation Science Standards: LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits, ETS2.A: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology, SEP3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, and CCC2: Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Explanation. Can be used to build towards HS-LS3–1.
Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9–10.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11–12.1
Nematodes are a popular model organism for studying human aging and longevity. They are also the guests of the WorMotel at the Fang-Yen Laboratory. The guests at the WorMotel check in with a plop. Each guest has a private room, cozy and controlled temperatures, and enough food to last a lifetime. There’s just one catch: They can never leave.
Matthew Churgin, a post-doctoral associate at the University of Pennsylvania bioengineering department, worked with Christopher Fang-Yen of the Fang-Yen Laboratory to study the nematodes, and their work was recently published in the journal eLife. See the WorMotel and research into the genetics of aging in this Science Friday Macroscope video:
Questions
“You need about 100 animals per group, so that’s roughly 2 million worms,” — Matt Churgin
- 2 million is a lot of worms! Why test so many animals?
- How do you think figuring out the function of one gene helps researchers better understand the aging process?
- Why do you think they image the worms for ten minutes before they turn the light on? What information does the researcher gain by observing worms in both light and dark conditions?
- Create a diagram that shows how the WorMotel works.
“Regardless of the field of study or preference for defining data (quantitative, qualitative), accurate data collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of research.” (Office of Research Integrity)
- How does the quote above fit in with the design of the WorMotel? Why do you think this is important in scientific research?
Learn more about WorMotel in this post from Penn Engineering.
Activity Suggestions
- Using this model organisms lesson from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, have students conduct a series of online experiments that use model organisms to better understand genes that influence human learning and memory. (This link provides easier access to Fly School.)
- What is the longest human lifespan? Check out this Spoonful on just how old the human body can really get.
Related Resource
This gecko-inspired adhesive is reusable and has the remarkable ability to self-clean.
