Caenorhabditis elegans (worms)
Worms can be used to understand biological processes in humans. Despite being small, worms share several features with people:
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Like people, worms have muscles, nerves, a gut and a circulatory system
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Worms also convert food to energy, like us. When people are hungry we walk to the shops for food - worms also purposefully move towards food
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Many molecular and metabolic processes that are key to health in humans also work similarly in worms
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Humans have ~25,000 genes and worms have ~19,000 genes
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Up to 80% of genes in worms are similar to human genes
Experiments on Earth using C. elegans have led to important discoveries and Nobel Prize awards
Here are some C. elegans facts - match the missing words to the facts:
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C. elegans are small, transparent multicellular organisms
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Adult C. elegans are approximately in length
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They have two sexes: males and self-fertilising hermaphrodites
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One hermaphrodite can produce offspring
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C. elegans have short life cycles: it takes for an egg to reach adulthood
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C. elegans live for
2-3 weeks
1 mm
300-350
2-3 days