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WOrM Podcast: Whole Organism Analytics Podcast

2025-02-21 – 2025-12-03 Podcasts Visit website ↗

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Join Dr Veeren Chauhan (University of Nottingham) as he explores whole-organism analytics, revealing how life adapts, interacts, and evolves.

From nematodes to next-generation analytical tools, expect deep dives into cutting-edge research, expert insights and the discoveries shaping biology, medicine, and ecology.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com 📧 [email protected]

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EPISODE 31: Longevity Legacy – Lysosomes Write Lifespan into the Epigenome

2025-10-15 Listen
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How can a worm’s intestine influence its descendants’ lifespan? This episode explores how lysosomes send metabolic signals through the epigenome to extend longevity across generations.

Researchers found that activating lysosomal lipid metabolism triggers transcriptional up-regulation of a histone variant, H3.3 (his-71), in the intestine. This histone is transported to the germ line, where it’s methylated at K79 by the methyltransferase DOT-1.3. The result is a heritable epigenetic state that promotes longer life across multiple generations of C. elegans.

The work reveals how metabolic signalling through lysosomes interacts with chromatin to link soma and germ line, showing how environmental changes like starvation can shape longevity inheritance.

📖 Based on: Zhang Q., Dang W., Wang M.C. Science (2025). “Lysosomes signal through the epigenome to regulate longevity across generations.” https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn8754

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more deep dives into the molecular lives of worms.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 29: Hidden Circuits – Mapping How Worms Really Think

2025-09-24 Listen
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Is a wiring diagram enough to understand the brain? In this episode, we dive into how researchers combined whole-brain optogenetic stimulation with calcium imaging in C. elegans to reveal functional neural connections that go beyond the traditional connectome.

Key insights include:

A new functional atlas built from ~23,000 neuron pair experiments How neuropeptides and extrasynaptic signals contribute to brain activity Strong functional links often exist without anatomical connections A data-driven rethinking of how neural signals propagate and integrate Implications for plasticity, brain evolution, and full-organism modelling

This episode sheds light on how small brains can perform complex processing — by rewiring our assumptions about wiring.

📖 Based on the research article: “Neural signal propagation atlas of Caenorhabditis elegans” Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Sophie Dvali & Andrew M. Leifer Published in Nature (2023) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06683-4

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism insights into behaviour, neuroscience, and beyond.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 28: Colour Coded – How Blind Worms See Danger in Blue

2025-09-10 Listen
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Worms without eyes shouldn’t see colour — yet C. elegans can. In this episode, we dive into a landmark study that shows how worms use blue-to-amber light ratios to make foraging decisions. When exposed to toxic blue pigments like pyocyanin, worms avoid them — but only under white light. The twist? They do it all without opsins.

We explore:

How worms detect and avoid blue-pigment-secreting P. aeruginosa Why light potentiates avoidance, but only for certain spectral ratios How lite-1 and GUR-3 receptors mediate spectral sensitivity Natural variation in colour preference across wild strains The discovery that stress-related genes jkk-1 and lec-3 underlie colour-guided behaviour

This episode uncovers a new form of opsin-free colour vision, expanding our understanding of how simple organisms read complex environments.

📖 Based on the research article: “C. elegans discriminates colors to guide foraging” Dipon Ghosh, Dongyeop Lee, Xin Jin, H. Robert Horvitz & Michael N. Nitabach Published in Science (2021) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd3010

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism surprises in perception, evolution, and behaviour.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 27: Scent of Supper – How Worms Sniff Out Nutritious Bacteria

2025-09-03 Listen
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How does a worm know what’s good for dinner? In this episode, we uncover how C. elegans can distinguish between helpful and harmful microbes — and it’s all down to polyamines. These microbe-produced metabolites act like scent beacons, guiding worms to nutritious bacteria like E. coli while steering them away from pathogens.

We explore:

How chemosensory neurons detect polyamines like cadaverine and putrescine Why ADF and AWC neurons are tuned to sniff out E. coli-enriched scents How the AIB interneuron acts as a decision hub for foraging Why worms lose interest in mutant E. coli strains lacking polyamines What this tells us about host-microbe interactions and innate sensory coding

📖 Based on the research article: “Chemosensory detection of polyamine metabolites guides C. elegans to nutritive microbes” Benjamin Brissette, Lia Ficaro, Chenguang Li, et al. Published in Science Advances (2024) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj4387

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism discoveries in behaviour, sensory biology, and microbe-host interactions.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 26: Eat, Inhibit, Lay – How Worms Tune Reproduction to Food

2025-08-27 Listen
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Why do C. elegans lay eggs only when food is around? In this episode, we explore a newly uncovered neuromodulatory circuit that links food detection to reproductive behaviour using a clever form of disinhibition. At the heart of this is the AVK interneuron — silenced by dopamine when food is present — which normally blocks egg-laying until conditions are right.

We unpack:

How AVK neurons act as gatekeepers for egg-laying behaviour Dopamine from food-sensing neurons inhibits AVKs via DOP-3 receptors AVKs release a cocktail of neuropeptides (PDF-1, NLP-10, NLP-21) that modulate downstream AIY neurons Functional imaging, CRISPR mutants, and optogenetics map the full food-to-egg pathway How this reveals general principles of neuromodulation and disinhibition

📖 Based on the research article: “Food sensing controls C. elegans reproductive behavior by neuromodulatory disinhibition” Yen-Chih Chen, Kara E. Zang, Hassan Ahamed, Niels Ringstad Published in Science Advances (2025) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu5829

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism insights at the interface of environment, brain, and behaviour.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 25: Heavy Worms, Light Data – Proteomics Gets Personal in C. elegans

2025-08-20 Listen
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In this episode, we dive into a milestone in C. elegans systems biology — the first application of SILAC-style metabolic proteome labelling in a whole animal. By feeding worms lysine auxotroph E. coli labelled with heavy lysine (Lys8), researchers enabled quantitative proteomics with precision typically reserved for cell culture.

But it gets better — they made it RNAi compatible, allowing side-by-side comparisons of wild-type vs mutant proteomes in the same run.

We discuss:

How worms were labelled with heavy lysine using auxotrophic E. coli How this enabled 94–97% incorporation of label in just one generation The creation of RNAi-ready NJF01 bacteria for knockdown and labelling Case study: NHR-49 loss alters lipid metabolism proteins at scale Why this approach paves the way for whole-organism proteogenomics

📖 Based on the research article: “Quantitative proteomics by amino acid labeling in C. elegans” Fredens, J., Engholm-Keller, K., Giessing, A., Pultz, D., Larsen, M.R., Højrup, P., Møller-Jensen, J., & Færgeman, N.J. Published in Nature Methods (2011) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1675

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism breakthroughs in metabolism, proteomics, and systems biology!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 24: Worms on the Chip – Machine Learning Meets Toxicology

2025-08-13 Listen
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In this episode, we explore a high-tech twist on developmental toxicology. Researchers have combined microfluidic engineering with machine learning to automate the analysis of thousands of C. elegans for chemical toxicity testing — no anaesthetics or low-res imaging required.

Using the vivoChip device and a custom ML model called vivoBodySeg, the team:

Captures 3D images of ~1000 worms from 24 populations at once Achieves near-human segmentation accuracy (Dice score: 97.8%) Measures subtle toxicity effects like changes in body size and gut autofluorescence Identifies EC10 and LOAEL values with high precision Uses few-shot learning to adapt the model to new worm shapes and sizes

This platform slashes analysis time by 140× and sets a new benchmark for high-throughput New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in toxicology.

📖 Based on the research article: “Machine learning-based analysis of microfluidic device immobilised C. elegans for automated developmental toxicity testing” Andrew DuPlissis, Abhishri Medewar, Evan Hegarty, et al. Published in Scientific Reports (2025) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84842-x

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more stories where whole-organism biology meets cutting-edge tech!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 22: Worm Towers – The Rise of Collective Dispersal

2025-07-30 Listen
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In this episode, we climb into the world of nematode architecture — worm towers! Researchers have now captured Caenorhabditis worms forming vertical towers in nature — self-assembled living structures that help worms hitch rides and bridge gaps as a form of collective dispersal.

We explore:

First real-world evidence of towering in C. elegans and other Caenorhabditis species Lab experiments that trigger towering in controlled conditions How worms of all life stages can join towers — not just dauers Towers that grow, bend, and bridge gaps to reach new environments How touch alone can trigger towers to transfer en masse to new habitats

📖 Based on the research article: “Towering behavior and collective dispersal in Caenorhabditis nematodes” Daniela M. Perez, Ryan Greenway, Thomas Stier, Narcís Font-Massot, Assaf Pertzelan, Siyu Serena Ding Published in Current Biology (2025) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.026

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism wonders in behaviour, biomechanics, and evolution!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 21: Beyond the Wires – Worm Brains Reveal Hidden Neural Connections

2025-07-09 Listen
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In this episode, we go beyond the famous C. elegans connectome to explore how signal propagation doesn’t always follow the wires. Using powerful whole-brain calcium imaging combined with single-cell optogenetic activation, researchers mapped over 23,000 neuron pairings to build a functional atlas that rewrites parts of the worm’s wiring diagram.

We dive into:

How extrasynaptic neuropeptide signalling connects neurons outside synapses The discovery of functional connections invisible in the wiring diagram How C. elegans neural signals propagate both directly and indirectly The creation of a functional connectome that predicts spontaneous activity better than anatomy alone The surprising flexibility and plasticity of even simple nervous systems

📖 Based on the research article: “Neural signal propagation atlas of Caenorhabditis elegans” Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Sophie Dvali & Andrew M. Leifer Published in Nature (2023). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06683-4

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism neuroscience that goes deeper than the wires!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 20: Tiny RNAs, Huge Impact – How Worms Revealed microRNAs

2025-07-02 Listen
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In this episode, we travel back to one of the great origin stories in gene regulation: the discovery of lin-4, the first-ever microRNA. In Caenorhabditis elegans, scientists found that tiny non-coding RNAs could silence gene expression by pairing with target mRNAs — launching the entire field of microRNA biology. We explore: How lin-4 regulates developmental timing by repressing LIN-14 protein The discovery of small RNAs (22 and 61 nucleotides) as gene regulators The first evidence for RNA-RNA antisense interactions controlling translation Why this work reshaped our understanding of gene expression across species How a worm taught us that not all genes code for proteins 📖 Based on the research article: "The C. elegans Heterochronic Gene lin-4 Encodes Small RNAs with Antisense Complementarity to lin-14" Rosalind C. Lee, Rhonda L. Feinbaum & Victor Ambros. Published in Cell (1993). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(93)90529-Y 🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more whole-organism breakthroughs that reshaped biology!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 18: Pumped Up – How Worms Mimic Heart Rhythms to Test Nanotech

2025-06-17 Listen
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In this episode, we ask: can a heartless worm model arrhythmia? Turns out — yes. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a stand-in for cardiac muscle, researchers tested the effects of polypyrrole nanoparticles (Ppy NPs) on pharyngeal pumping rhythms, revealing fascinating insights into how bioengineered materials might impact human-like tissues.

We explore:

How the worm pharynx mimics cardiac function Why mutants with sluggish pumps were rescued by Ppy NPs Long-lasting effects, even after the nanoparticles were expelled Calcium imaging showing altered Ca²⁺ dynamics in real time The power of C. elegans for safe-by-design nanomedicine screening

📖 Based on the research article: “Arrhythmic Effects Evaluated on Caenorhabditis elegans: The Case of Polypyrrole Nanoparticles” Sumithra Yasaswini Srinivasan, Pilar Alvarez Illera, Dmytro Kukhtar, et al. Published in ACS Nano (2023). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c05245

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more science where whole organisms meet high-tech innovation!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 16: Cut, Paste, Attack – How Nematodes Remix Their Genetic Arsenal

2025-06-04 Listen
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In this episode, we dive into a genetic mystery: how can a single gene in plant-parasitic nematodes have thousands of alleles? This study unravels the bizarre behaviour of HYP effectors — genes that help nematodes infect plants but defy traditional genetics.

Using CRISPR, long-read sequencing, and clever maths, the researchers reveal:

​How the HYP gene rearranges motifs in its hyper-variable domain (HVD) with flawless precision​That most nematodes appear homozygous, despite the population showing extreme diversity​A proposed mechanism called HVD editing — a form of locus-specific somatic genome editing​Why this mirrors the way our immune system reshuffles antibody genes

This isn’t just about plant pests — it’s a rare glimpse at real-time genome innovation, where diversity is generated with intent, not random chance.

📖 Based on the research article: “A gene with a thousand alleles: The hyper-variable effectors of plant-parasitic nematodes” Unnati Sonawala, Helen Beasley, Peter Thorpe, Kyriakos Varypatakis, Beatrice Senatori, John T. Jones, Lida Derevnina & Sebastian Eves-van den Akker Published in Cell Genomics (2024). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100580

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more strange and spectacular tales of genome biology.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 15: Silent but Deadly – How RNAi Changed Worms (and Science)

2025-05-28 Listen
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In this episode, we rewind to one of biology’s biggest plot twists: RNA interference (RNAi). Scientists found that injecting double-stranded RNA into Caenorhabditis elegans could silence genes powerfully and precisely—far beyond anything single strands could achieve.

This game-changing discovery revealed:

How dsRNA triggers targeted gene shutdown Why only a few molecules can silence thousands of cells How gene silencing spreads across tissues The first clues toward RNA-based therapies that would change medicine forever

📖 Based on the research article: “Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans” Andrew Fire, SiQun Xu, Mary K. Montgomery, Steven A. Kostas, Samuel E. Driver & Craig C. Mello. Published in Nature (1998). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/35888

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more whole-organism stories that changed the world!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 14: Love at First Touch – Worms Feel Their Way to Romance

2025-05-21 Listen
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In this episode, we uncover how Caenorhabditis elegans males pick the right mate — by literally feeling for it! Researchers discovered that body stiffness, controlled by special furrow collagens, acts as a key mechanical cue for contact-mediated mate recognition.

We discuss:

How males detect species, sex, and reproductive stage through touch Why body stiffness and surface signals must work together for successful mating Experiments using ruptured worms, chemical treatments, and even 3D-printed bionic worms to test mechanical cues Why mating is not just about scent or sight — it’s about how a partner feels

📖 Based on the research article: “Body stiffness is a mechanical property that facilitates contact-mediated mate recognition in Caenorhabditis elegans” Jen-Wei Weng, Heenam Park, Claire Valotteau, Nathalie Pujol, Paul W. Sternberg & Chun-Hao Chen. Published in Current Biology (2023). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.020

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more quirky stories at the crossroads of mechanics, behaviour, and evolution!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 13: Hit and Run – How C. elegans Escapes Danger with Tyramine Power

2025-05-14 Listen
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How does a tiny worm coordinate complex escape behaviour? In this episode, we dive into how the neurotransmitter tyramine triggers rapid, coordinated escape in Caenorhabditis elegans. Researchers uncovered that tyramine activates a newly discovered tyramine-gated chloride channel, LGC-55, which suppresses head movements and promotes sustained backward locomotion after anterior touch.

We explore:

How tyramine acts as a classical inhibitory neurotransmitter in C. elegans The critical role of LGC-55 in controlling head movement and reversal length during escapes Why tyramine’s control of multiple motor outputs is vital to escaping predatory fungi How tyramine reshapes neural network dynamics to bias the worm toward rapid retreat

📖 Based on the research article: “A Tyramine-Gated Chloride Channel Coordinates Distinct Motor Programs of a Caenorhabditis elegans Escape Response” Jennifer K. Pirri, Adam D. McPherson, Jamie L. Donnelly, Michael M. Francis & Mark J. Alkema. Published in Neuron (2009). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2009.04.013

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more on neuromodulation, escape circuits, and whole-organism behaviour!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 12: Grow Fast, Grow Smart – How Worms Keep Their Size in Check

2025-05-07 Listen
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Why don’t fast-growing worms end up giants and slow ones stay tiny? In this episode, we explore how Caenorhabditis elegans uses a clever trick: coupling growth rate with developmental speed to keep body sizes uniform.

Live imaging reveals that worms with faster growth develop quicker, while slower growers take their time — cancelling out size differences. Instead of strict size checkpoints (like many cells use), C. elegans uses a “folder” strategy, fine-tuned by an internal genetic oscillator.

We cover:

Why worms don’t follow traditional “adder” or “sizer” models How growth and development are linked by a biological clock How tweaking this oscillator shifts final body size Why this simple coupling helps worms beat random size divergence

📖 Based on the research article: “Coupling of growth rate and developmental tempo reduces body size heterogeneity in C. elegans” Klement Stojanovski, Helge Großhans & Benjamin D. Towbin. Published in Nature Communications (2022). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29720-8

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more stories where physics, biology, and evolution collide!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 11: Slip the Noose – How C. elegans Dodges Deadly Fungal Traps

2025-04-30 Listen
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Christopher M. Clark (Current Biology) , Sean M. Maguire (Current Biology) , Veeren Chauhan , Jennifer K. Pirri (Current Biology) , Mark J. Alkema (Current Biology)

In this episode, we explore a real-world predator–prey arms race: how Caenorhabditis elegans uses its anterior touch response to escape predacious fungi. Species like Drechslerella doedycoides use constricting hyphal rings to trap nematodes in soil. But thanks to mechanosensory neurons and fast reflexes, C. elegans larvae can sense the noose and back out — if they’re fast enough.

We dive into:

The mechanics of fungal ring traps and the escape window before closure How C. elegans suppresses head movement and reverses direction to evade capture Why touch-insensitive and tyramine signalling mutants get caught more often How coordination of motor programmes evolved under selective pressure from fungal predators

📖 Based on the research article: “The C. elegans Touch Response Facilitates Escape from Predacious Fungi” Sean M. Maguire, Christopher M. Clark, Jennifer K. Pirri, Mark J. Alkema. Published in Current Biology (2011). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.06.063

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more whole-organism insights at the edge of neuroethology, evolution, and behaviour.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 10: Self or Snack? Peptide-Mediated Kin Recognition in Pristionchus pacificus

2025-04-23 Listen
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How do predatory nematodes avoid cannibalising their own offspring? In this episode, we explore a remarkable study that uncovers a peptide-based self-recognition system in Pristionchus pacificus. This system hinges on a single hypervariable peptide, SELF-1, which allows individuals to distinguish between kin and non-kin—preventing self-killing but enabling predation on rivals.

We discuss:

The discovery and characterisation of the self-1 gene How a single amino acid change can disrupt recognition The role of hypervariable C-terminal sequences in defining identity CRISPR-Cas9 experiments to map and manipulate self-recognition Why this system may represent a new form of species- and strain-specific recognition in the animal kingdom

📖 Based on the research article: “Small peptide–mediated self-recognition prevents cannibalism in predatory nematodes” James W. Lightfoot, Martin Wilecki, Christian Rödelsperger, et al. Published in Science (2019). 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav9856

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more on whole-organism behaviour, evolution, and molecular mechanisms of identity. 🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com

EPISODE 8: Smart Polymers for Smarter Drug Delivery – From Glycerol to Nanocarriers

2025-04-09 Listen
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In this episode, we explore the next generation of polymeric drug carriers, made from sustainably sourced glycerol and diglycerol. Researchers are replacing traditional PEGylated polymers with innovative glycerol-based polyesters and copolyesters that are biodegradable, biocompatible, and free from PEG-related immunogenic risks.

We cover four recent studies investigating how changes to the polymer backbone—like adding hydrophobic diols or tweaking amphiphilicity—dramatically affect nanoparticle formation, drug encapsulation, and in vivo performance.

🔍 Key Topics Covered: • The rise of poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) and poly(diglycerol adipate) (PDGA) as eco-friendly drug carriers • How backbone modifications (adding 1,6-hexanediol or altering hydrophilicity) fine-tune nanoparticle properties • Chitosan-based nanoparticles for delivering sodium usnate in osteosarcoma therapy, combining drug delivery with cancer suppression • Advanced stability, encapsulation, and whole-organism (Caenorhabditis elegans) biocompatibility testing of these smart polymers • Why these next-generation biodegradable polyesters could replace PEG in future medicines

📖 Based on 4 Research Articles: 1. Poly (diglycerol adipate) variants as enhanced nanocarrier replacements in drug delivery applications – Jacob et al., 2023  2. Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance – Axioti et al., 2024  3. Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterisation, stability, cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility against 143B cells – Brugnoli et al., 2023  4. Glycerol-Based Copolyesters as Polymeric Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery – D’Anna et al., 2025 

🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more discoveries at the interface of polymer science, drug delivery, and whole-organism research!

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠ 📧 [email protected]

EPISODE 2: Spaceflight, Muscle Loss & Worms – How Microgravity Reshapes Biology

2025-02-28 Listen
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In this episode, we explore how microgravity affects muscle structure and function, using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Spaceflight-induced muscle atrophy is a major challenge for astronauts, and understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind these changes is key to developing countermeasures.

This discussion is based on the review article: “Advancing Insights into Microgravity-Induced Muscle Changes Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model Organism” Beckett LJ, Williams PM, Toh LS, Hessel V, Gerstweiler L, Fisk I, Toronjo-Urquiza L, Chauhan VM. Published in npj Microgravity (2024). 📖 Read the full paper: ⁠https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00418-z⁠

🔬 Learn how C. elegans provides unique insights into metabolic changes, gene expression, and protein regulation during spaceflight, offering potential strategies to counteract muscle degradation.

🌍 Follow for more research-based discussions on nematodes, space biology, and biomedical science.

This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com 📧 [email protected]