A CT scan of a 52-year-old man’s brain, who complained of worsening medication-resistant migraines over a period of four months, revealed the presence of tapeworm larvae-filled cysts—an illness doctors blamed on his lifelong love of undercooked bacon. The condition, known in scientific circles as Neurocysticercosis, is caused by pig tapeworms, which infect humans through either eating pork or consuming contaminated …
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Not content with a diet of old leaves, some worm species actually eat bones. A new study has now traced the ancient ancestors of these bone-burrowers back through 100 million years of evolution. Deep in the ocean, bone-eating worms from the genus Osedax feast on the carcasses of whales, sucking up fats and proteins from the skeletons. And it looks …
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A recent deep-sea experiment has led to the discovery of a “zombie worm” species capable of devouring entire alligators. Conducted by researchers at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), this study has revealed some truly unexpected behaviors from ocean scavengers. The experiment involved dropping three dead alligators into the Gulf of Mexico, aiming to see how creatures in the deep …
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