#6 THE WORM – Caenorhabditis elegans
They were the first animals to have their genome sequenced, the prototype for the first artificial brain, and they’ve been to outer space. Transparent, soil-dwelling and tiny Caenorhabditis elegans has certainly made an impact. With just 959 cells, the development of these worms—from egg to adult—has been painstakingly mapped, work which won the 2002 Nobel Prize. Scientists from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) are currently studying how worm physiology adjusts in a zero-gravity environment, research they hope will contribute to reducing bone and muscle loss in space.
