Harry Tuazon News Today

Despite our knack for tying knots in everything from shoelaces to laser beams, there is still a lot we humans can learn from a tiny tangle-inclined worm.

Boston MA (SPX) May 01, 2023 - As anyone who has ever unwound a string of holiday lights or detangled a lock of snarled hair knows, undoing a knot of fibers takes a lot longer than tangling it up in the first place. This is not s

Georgia Tech researchers wanted to understand precisely how blackworms execute tangling and ultrafast untangling movements for a myriad of biological functions. To investigate, they linked up with mathematicians at MIT to understand the topology of the tangles. Their research could inform the design of fiber-like, shapeshifting robotics that self-assemble and move in ways that are fast and reversible. The study also highlights how cross-disciplinary collaboration can answer some of the most perp...

California blackworms make a contribution to the math and physics of knot tying by demoing twisting motions that help them escape a tangled worm ball

A new study explains how California blackworms can twist and curl around each other by the thousands, forming tightly wound balls and then untangling just as quickly.

California blackworms gather together in tangled-up balls to preserve moisture during droughts, but they can rapidly separate when they perceive danger thanks to a special helical wriggle

In the toxic waters of Sulphur Cave in Steamboat Springs, Colo. lives blood-red worm blobs that have attracted scientific interest from around the world. We don special breathing gear and go into the cave with David Steinmann, the spelunking scientist who first documented the worms, along with a trio of science students from Georgia Tech, to collect worms and marvel at the unique crystals and cave formations (ever heard of snottites??) that earned Sulphur Cave a designation as a National Natural...

Editor’s note: Entering the Sulphur Cave is prohibited and can result in serious harm to someone’s health or death. Members of the public should not enter the cave. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Clad in protective clothing and...

Editor’s note: Entering the Sulphur Cave is prohibited and can result in serious harm to someone’s health or death. Members of the public should not enter the cave. Clad in protective clothing and breathing through...