WOrM Podcast: Whole Organism Analytics Podcast
Episodes
EPISODE 48: Murder Mode: How a Worm Evolved the Urge to Kill
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we're talking about a worm with teeth.And a nervous system that has been rewired — by ...
EPISODE 47: When Bacteria Fight Back: Bioplastic Kills the Worm
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we’re talking about something unexpected.A bioplastic — something we usually think of as...
EPISODE 46: Turning in Time: Neural Sequences in the Worm Brain
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we’re looking at something deceptively simple: a turn.But not just that a worm turns —ho...
EPISODE 45 — Worms Shape Their World: The Hidden Power of the Microbiome
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we flip the usual perspective.We often think about how the environment shapes the worm.But w...
EPISODE 44 — Fat Talks: How Worms Decide Not to Eat
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we’re talking about something fundamental — feeding behaviour — but through a lens you...
EPISODE 43 — Drunk Worms: Dopamine, Serotonin, and Behaviour
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we’re looking at something surprisingly familiar in worm biology: alcohol.But not just exp...
EPISODE 42 — Sand, Soil, and Screen: The Rise of the Giant Worm
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱🎬Today we’re stepping slightly outside the lab… but not too far.We’re asking a serious qu...
EPISODE 41 — Stress, Signal, Survive: Rethinking Longevity Pathways in C. elegans
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we return to a core question in worm biology: when stress extends lifespan, what is really d...
EPISODE 40 — Lipids on a Leash: Cordycepin and Worm Ageing
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about a molecule that keeps popping up in “healthy ageing” conversations: cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) 🍄But instead o...
EPISODE 39 — Perfect Timing: Why Worm Synchronisation Matters
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the next episode of the WOrM Podcast 🪱Today we’re doing something a little different. If you already know C. elegans — and I know yo...
Episode 38 — When Mitochondria Whisper, Immunity Listens
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if living longer isn’t just about fixing broken mitochondria—but about how the organism responds to that stress?In this episode, we dig into ...
EPISODE 37: Octopus "Ouch" Genes - Teaching Worms to Feel Pain!
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do you hunt for pain-sensing genes in an octopus — and then test what they do in a nematode? In this episode, we explore a cross-species strateg...
EPISODE 36: Partners in Crime – When Nematodes Team Up with Plant Pathogens
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the WOrM Podcast, we explore how plant-parasitic nematodes rarely act alone.Focusing on nematode–pathogen disease complexes, this...
EPISODE 35: Seasoned for Survival – A Christmas Recipe for Worms
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this end-of-year episode of the WOrM Podcast, we explore a seasonal but scientifically grounded idea: a Christmas recipe for worms.Using Caenorhabd...
EPISODE 34: Small Worm, Big Prizes – The Collaboration That Changed Biology
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does a one-millimetre worm help win four Nobel Prizes? In this episode, we explore how C. elegans became one of the most influential organisms in ...
EPISODE 33: The Longevity Latte – Low Caffeine, Long Life
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can a tiny dose of caffeine help a worm live longer? In this episode, we explore how C. elegans responds to the world’s favourite stimulant. Researc...
EPISODE 32: Colour Code – Smart Polymers That Glow, Track, and Heal
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you make a nanoparticle that tells you where it is and helps at the same time?In this episode, we dive into the chemistry behind polydiacetylen...
EPISODE 31: Longevity Legacy – Lysosomes Write Lifespan into the Epigenome
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can a worm’s intestine influence its descendants’ lifespan? This episode explores how lysosomes send metabolic signals through the epigenome t...
EPISODE 30: Timelines of Ageing – What Worms Teach Us About Growing Old
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into a new version of WormGazer as described in a recent GeroScience paper. This implementation automates movement monitoring...
EPISODE 29: Hidden Circuits – Mapping How Worms Really Think
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is a wiring diagram enough to understand the brain? In this episode, we dive into how researchers combined whole-brain optogenetic stimulation with ca...
EPISODE 28: Colour Coded – How Blind Worms See Danger in Blue
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-ambe...
EPISODE 27: Scent of Supper – How Worms Sniff Out Nutritious Bacteria
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
EPISODE 26: Eat, Inhibit, Lay – How Worms Tune Reproduction to Food
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
EPISODE 25: Heavy Worms, Light Data – Proteomics Gets Personal in C. elegans
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into a milestone in C. elegans systems biology — the first application of SILAC-style metabolic proteome labelling in a who...
EPISODE 24: Worms on the Chip – Machine Learning Meets Toxicology
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore a high-tech twist on developmental toxicology. Researchers have combined microfluidic engineering with machine learning to...
EPISODE 23: Magnetic Minds – Worms Reveal Brain-Wide Signals in Real Time
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we follow Caenorhabditis elegans into the magnetic field. Researchers have developed an elegant way to measure whole-brain neural act...
EPISODE 22: Worm Towers – The Rise of Collective Dispersal
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we climb into the world of nematode architecture — worm towers!Researchers have now captured Caenorhabditis worms forming vertical ...
EPISODE 21: Beyond the Wires – Worm Brains Reveal Hidden Neural Connections
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we go beyond the famous C. elegans connectome to explore how signal propagation doesn’t always follow the wires. Using powerful who...
EPISODE 20: Tiny RNAs, Huge Impact – How Worms Revealed microRNAs
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Caenorhabdi...
EPISODE 19: Scent for Survival – How Parasite Worms Track Us by CO₂
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we track how Strongyloides stercoralis — a human-infective nematode — uses carbon dioxide sensing to navigate both outside and in...
EPISODE 18: Pumped Up – How Worms Mimic Heart Rhythms to Test Nanotech
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we ask: can a heartless worm model arrhythmia? Turns out — yes. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a stand-in for cardiac muscle, rese...
EPISODE 17: Oxygen High – Worms Breathe, Signal, and Adapt with cGMP Precision
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how Caenorhabditis elegans senses and responds to oxygen — not just by breathing, but by activating a finely tuned cGMP ...
EPISODE 16: Cut, Paste, Attack – How Nematodes Remix Their Genetic Arsenal
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
EPISODE 15: Silent but Deadly – How RNAi Changed Worms (and Science)
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we rewind to one of biology’s biggest plot twists: RNA interference (RNAi). Scientists found that injecting double-stranded RNA int...
EPISODE 14: Love at First Touch – Worms Feel Their Way to Romance
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we uncover how Caenorhabditis elegans males pick the right mate — by literally feeling for it!Researchers discovered that body stif...
EPISODE 13: Hit and Run – How C. elegans Escapes Danger with Tyramine Power
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does a tiny worm coordinate complex escape behaviour? In this episode, we dive into how the neurotransmitter tyramine triggers rapid, coordinated ...
EPISODE 12: Grow Fast, Grow Smart – How Worms Keep Their Size in Check
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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: coup...
EPISODE 11: Slip the Noose – How C. elegans Dodges Deadly Fungal Traps
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore a real-world predator–prey arms race: how Caenorhabditis elegans uses its anterior touch response to escape predacious f...
EPISODE 10: Self or Snack? Peptide-Mediated Kin Recognition in Pristionchus pacificus
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do predatory nematodes avoid cannibalising their own offspring? In this episode, we explore a remarkable study that uncovers a peptide-based self-...
EPISODE 9: Divergent Diets, Divergent Defences – Intestinal Evolution in C. elegans and P. pacificus
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does a nematode’s feeding strategy shape its gut biology and disease resistance? In this episode, we explore a comparative gut transcriptomics s...
EPISODE 8: Smart Polymers for Smarter Drug Delivery – From Glycerol to Nanocarriers
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the next generation of polymeric drug carriers, made from sustainably sourced glycerol and diglycerol. Researchers are rep...
EPISODE 7: Bright Polymers – Tracking Drug Delivery with Fluorescent PLGA Nanoparticles
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tracking drug delivery inside cells is a challenge when the drug carrier itself is invisible. In this episode, we discuss a breakthrough in polymer sc...
EPISODE 6: Bloodthirsty Worms – Haematophagic Caenorhabditis elegans and Vaccine Discovery
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can a normally bacteria-feeding nematode become a blood-feeder? In this episode, we dive into the surprising world of haematophagic Caenorhabditis ele...
EPISODE 5: Unlocking the Physicochemical Fingerprint of the Hookworm Necator americanus
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does a tiny hookworm outsmart the human immune system? In this episode, we explore the physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus, a parasi...
EPISODE 4: Magic Nanosensors Reveal Intestinal pH Oscillations in C. elegans
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that digestion in C. elegans follows a rhythmic pH cycle? In this episode, we explore how magic nanosensors uncover real-time intestinal ...
EPISODE 3: The Hidden Mechanical Properties of Biological Surfaces – Brillouin Endo-Microscopy
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we uncover a revolutionary approach to imaging the hidden mechanical properties of biological surfaces using Label-Free Brillouin End...
EPISODE 2: Spaceflight, Muscle Loss & Worms – How Microgravity Reshapes Biology
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how microgravity affects muscle structure and function, using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Spaceflight-indu...
EPISODE 1: Nematode Surface Lipids: Development, Species Adaptations, and Interactions
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Surface Lipids in Nematodes are Influenced by Development and Species-specific AdaptationsThis research utilizes 3D-OrbiSIMS to analyze the surface li...