This past week we have been seeing a video out of Thailand of a weird worm that shoots out a white substance onto this guy’s hand. Get your head of the gutter… it’s a video of what is thought to be in fact a peanut worm a close relative of the velvet worm.
Well what is it shooting, and why? This worm has a unique digestive tract which starts in the mouth. These worms can shoot up to 18 and 24 tentacles ensnaring predators and/or prey. Using high-speed cameras to study the worm’s cannons in action, Andres Concha at Adolfo Ibanez University in Chile found the glue-like substance builds up behind the worm’s head, gradually increasing in pressure until it is forced through a narrow jet. The pressure causes the pipe, which has no rigid supports, to jump about wildly while it discharges its payload, like a high-pressure hose. This generates sideways motion at speeds 25 times faster than muscles could produce. This was published by New Scientist.
They mention that studying this creature can give insight on the development for inkjet printers to better drug delivery systems. Others see the potential of using the worms glue in gels that could stop people in their tracks. So we can expect inkjet printers that spray ink everywhere and Spiderman web shooters.
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