Iain McGilchrist

We have 26,000 genes. But a blind, millimetre-long roundworm with only 959 cells in total already has over 19,000.

British Writer

Roundworms are common parasites found in many animals, hinting at a health issue.

Common Parasite

When discussing roundworms in human contexts, it implies a medical condition that requires treatment.

Human Impact

Roundworm carriers might not show symptoms, so it's often used in contexts discussing hidden health issues.

Not Always Symptomatic

In botany, roundworm typically refers to a serious disease affecting plant roots, indicating agricultural problems.

Crop Disease

Roundworm plant diseases are difficult to treat and often lead to talks of crop management challenges.

Treatment Difficulty

Usage often involves economic loss, highlighting its impact on farmers' livelihoods.

Agricultural Loss

 because that is the number you might typically find in the belly of a single infected child. Worm infections have been around for thousands of years. They have influenced the outcomes of wars, and they have long stymied human health. Roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, infections from these species cause pain and discomfort.

Parasitic worms hold...

 then maybe one could eventually do something about it so we set out to look for genes that control aging and we didn't study any of these animals instead we studied a little tiny roundworm called C elegans which is just about the size of a comma in a sentence and we were really optimistic that we