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#flatworms

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Gutless, solar-powered worms genetically control their resident algae.

The tiny #flatworms called acoels seem pretty simple. Their internal organs drift freely in their shapeless bodies, which lack even a digestive tract.

Some acoel species host photosynthesizing algae that provide energy in exchange for safe housing, a classic #symbiosis.

These worms manipulate their live-in algae’s gene activity during their extreme act of regeneration.

#biology #ecology #evolution
scientificamerican.com/article

Scientific American · Regenerating Deep-Sea Worms Harness Live-In Algae as They Split into ThreeBy Rohini Subrahmanyam

Dark eggs found on #ocean floor represent deepest free-living #flatworms ever observed phys.org/news/2024-01-dark-bla

#Flatworm cocoons in the abyss: same plan under pressure royalsocietypublishing.org/doi

"The black clutch of eggs was discovered by Yasunori Kano as he was piloting a remote undersea vehicle in NW Pacific. He collected samples at a depth of 6,200 meters. After initial testing, the researchers discovered that the eggs represented something rare—they sent a trawling ship for more specimens"

Parasite of the Day: Euglenaformis parasitica
dailyparasite.blogspot.com/202

"#Euglena and its kin are mostly free-living, photosynthesizing when the sun's out, absorbing organic matter from the environment when it's dark. But the ancestor of E. parasitica was not content with this mostly peaceful lifestyle, and has evolved to live inside the body of #animals. These #euglenids were found parasitising #ostracods & #flatworms in a rice field in #Ibaraki, #Japan."

#Planaria are freshwater #flatworms that have become a key model for studying #regeneration and #stem #cells, as they can regenerate any part of the body, even the head. But how does the animal know what part of its body is missing and what kind of tissue it needs to #regenerate?
#Biology #sflorg
sflorg.com/2023/02/bio02142301

www.sflorg.comResearchers identify new molecular mechanism key to planarian regenerationThese flatworms are capable of regenerating any part of their bodies.