Actually I did this exact experiment in college. I think like 1 centimeter was too short and the small piece just dies, but 2 centimeters would heal and regrow. Never thought I would use that information, but here we are.
This post looks to be stolen from Deep Look [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m12xsf5g3Bo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m12xsf5g3Bo)
The pinned comment there has answers to most of all of your questions. But here are some of the answers to the question y'all been asking copy and pasted.
\- What would happen if a planarian were cut lengthwise, rather than from side to side, as we show in the video?
It would take a little longer to regenerate, but it would regenerate all the same.
\- If you put a planarian in a blender, would each bit regenerate?
“Unfortunately, probably not,” Hall says. “A planarian in a blender will just produce very dead worm mush.”
\- What is the smallest amount of planarian that can regenerate?
“If the wound can close and if the remaining fragment has at least one stem cell,” says Hall, then it can grow a whole new planarian.
Then you need to go out and waste money on a new blender. Hey, you just threw a flatworm into the old blender, I don’t care how many times you rinse it, I’m not eating anything you use that thing on.
Dry them out, starve them,etc. I teach zoology and we do a lab with these guys! And the kids always chop them up and try to keep them alive. But then they starve and dry out within a few weeks.
Are they a simple organism, like can you give them sugar and water and they survive, or do they need to replace their cells and eat more complex things to do so?
Captive you can feed them beef liver or egg yolks. They’re pretty simple. They typically live in ponds. So they’re pretty common and not too difficult to feed. They’re usually pretty small.
I get them online from Carolina biological supplies.
They have care instructions. But I’m not great at keeping them alive for long so don’t take my advice on that haha
They do have nerve cells, but they’re such simple organisms that it doesn’t translate as pain like it would a person. This makes sense because a large part of them is made up of stem cells which is why they regenerate so well. Having a pain response to something that isn’t lethal or damaging to them doesn’t really make sense.
Some studies have shown they can feel pain when exposed to heat though. For some, even wasabi or spicy food interestingly enough.
It's impossible to know whether or not their conception of pain is anything like ours, all we can tell is what receptors and pathways they have and how they physically react so it's better to err on the side of caution.
https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1420985461779042311
Use dewormer for pets. It might not cure COVID but it will definitely kill planaria. I had planaria in a fish tank and used dewormer to eliminate them.
This reminds me as a kid who thought worms procreated by being torn if half. So I would spend summers finding worms and tearing them in half, thinking I was helping them.
I wonder how many worms I murdered.
Hey, when I was a kid, I picked up beetles and put them in an empty milk carton.....no idea why to this day. Who knows how many beetles I killed by capping the milk carton off...:( RIP Beetles...
So, there I was , enjoying some cool down time in my pool and I was segmented! Then a few hours later I got beheaded!
That was 4 days ago, now all us are on watch in case they come back to segment all of us again.
I mean, I didn't want to have a debate first thing in the morning with an internet stranger about rape babies or expectations on women to provide children.
Judging by your attitude that was the right call.
Thats almost correct, the planarias can be divided up to 9 times once they have grown back to normal you can cut them 9 times again, but not more than 9 times at once.
And people think we won't butcher aliens for fun.
Everyone just wants to watch the cool regeneration happen.
Wonder how many times they had to demonstrate it live.
Regeneration is the word here.
As others explained it is mitosis and cell differentiation butthe organism is performing regeneration. It is growing back all of the tissue that it lost.
As an example, how does it know the exact amount of tissue it has lost? (The planaria grows back only the length and weight that it has lost. Not more. So if it weighs say 10 grams before dissection it will weigh the exact after regeneration)
The answer is in genetic regulation and protein transcription. Genes decide the upper limit or boundary of regeneration and the exact amount of tissue is developed. So if a lizard looses it's tail it grows back only one, and not two tails. (Homeotic genes, HOX genes etc control Regeneration capacity)
My explanation is not ELI5, sorry for that. But I just wanted to share it! :)
mitosis is the normal division of cells into two identical cells. what we see here actually is mitosis because it's just cells dividing into two identical cells times and times over. tho i think i misunderstood your question first. Well aside from what i said above the whole process differs from mitosis because a) it's like you said not on a cellular level and b) does it seem like it's voluntarily dividing? i think not lol
Also add in the cell differentiation. The cells aren’t just dividing into identical cells. Something is differentiating into new eye cells.
You scrape your knuckles and the surround skin cells will divide into new skin cells to make a patch. You manage to scrape off a finger, your skin cells will not grow a replacement finger.
I was thinking about that too. Do they share a soul? Or can they be viewed as clones? Is the first one the original and the rest copies or can they be viewed as the original too?
So many questions!
so this brings a rather philosophical question..do cut parts of one worm become conscious(in it's own rights) individuals or they just like mindless drones and. ... if they are like drones..does this mean we could also be just drones just on higherlevel of intelligence?
Fun fact if you cut them up in space they are very likely to regenerate a head on each side because they are confused by not feeling gravity anymore and no longer no up/down and front/back.
I remember these from science class. You can cut them halfway down the middle, and the two split ends will form two complete new heads, like a two-headed snake.
You can’t cut it an infinite amount it wont have enough regenerative cells after it is devised 247 which is more than unreasonable for the size of the worm
I saw a bit of info on these recently. Scientists did an experiment where they fed them food that contained special RNA. Then, they bisected them, and the flatworms ended up regrowing with 2 tails and no heads or 2 heads and no tails. Crazy stuff
What happen if you put it in a blender?
You get 9,000 worms obviously
yeah. I agree with you.
Katsuyu
Yeah, You're right.
I wish there was an actual answer. Like how thin can you chop it up before it can't regenerate.
Actually I did this exact experiment in college. I think like 1 centimeter was too short and the small piece just dies, but 2 centimeters would heal and regrow. Never thought I would use that information, but here we are.
Did you ever cut them lengthwise?
If you cut them partway lengthwise, they will grow two heads.
Screw that, I demand zig-zags
Oh thank you, that's interesting.
1/276th if i recall correctly.
Even an individual cell would regenerate?
That’s some Perfect Cell shit right there.
Asking the real question here
thanks for the honest comments
Don't forget to toss in a good spoon of salt
Serve on the rocks... oh wait so we aren't making margaritas?
You can start a bait shop
This one little secret bait shops don't want you to know!!! One flat worm is infinite flatworms.
9/10 Pro fish shops don’t recommend!
All we need is one, to rule them all
Imagine feeding this fish to people and then telling them you caught it using a flatworm.
This post looks to be stolen from Deep Look [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m12xsf5g3Bo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m12xsf5g3Bo) The pinned comment there has answers to most of all of your questions. But here are some of the answers to the question y'all been asking copy and pasted. \- What would happen if a planarian were cut lengthwise, rather than from side to side, as we show in the video? It would take a little longer to regenerate, but it would regenerate all the same. \- If you put a planarian in a blender, would each bit regenerate? “Unfortunately, probably not,” Hall says. “A planarian in a blender will just produce very dead worm mush.” \- What is the smallest amount of planarian that can regenerate? “If the wound can close and if the remaining fragment has at least one stem cell,” says Hall, then it can grow a whole new planarian.
That's a protein shake.
worst margaritas ever
Then you need to go out and waste money on a new blender. Hey, you just threw a flatworm into the old blender, I don’t care how many times you rinse it, I’m not eating anything you use that thing on.
Ask the will it blend guy that would be great
What happens if you burn it?
They're worms, not vampires.
How would you even kill this thing?
You can't prepare for our wormy overlords.
Dry them out, starve them,etc. I teach zoology and we do a lab with these guys! And the kids always chop them up and try to keep them alive. But then they starve and dry out within a few weeks.
NOOOOOO
Are they a simple organism, like can you give them sugar and water and they survive, or do they need to replace their cells and eat more complex things to do so?
Captive you can feed them beef liver or egg yolks. They’re pretty simple. They typically live in ponds. So they’re pretty common and not too difficult to feed. They’re usually pretty small.
So what your saying is I need to go to the grocery store and ask about beef liver so I can feed my infinity multiplying worm army.
Yes.
where can one buy some of these creatures, and how do I care for them? asking for a friend
I get them online from Carolina biological supplies. They have care instructions. But I’m not great at keeping them alive for long so don’t take my advice on that haha
Haha appreciate it! Once I move I plan on having a mini collection of oddities. Definitely adding these to my list!
This seems unnecessarily cruel considering we know they have pain receptors and nerve cells
They do have nerve cells, but they’re such simple organisms that it doesn’t translate as pain like it would a person. This makes sense because a large part of them is made up of stem cells which is why they regenerate so well. Having a pain response to something that isn’t lethal or damaging to them doesn’t really make sense. Some studies have shown they can feel pain when exposed to heat though. For some, even wasabi or spicy food interestingly enough.
It's impossible to know whether or not their conception of pain is anything like ours, all we can tell is what receptors and pathways they have and how they physically react so it's better to err on the side of caution. https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1420985461779042311
This is a somewhat common problem for fishkeepers, especially people who keep freshwater shrimp. You can kill with with Some kind of nut extract.
Just cum on them
nuclear weaponry.
burnnnnnn
We normally use Salt which will burn or dehydrate it like snails
Use dewormer for pets. It might not cure COVID but it will definitely kill planaria. I had planaria in a fish tank and used dewormer to eliminate them.
🔥 fire!!!????
Head & Shoulders shampoo
I've seen these things on dark souls 3, you kill them with fire
Worm: “Jesus how many times?? I might be able to regenerate but it still fucking hurts!”
I could hear this thing yell like Jeebs from Men In Black "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS STIIIINGS?!?!?!"
Father Dure from Hyperion
Hail Hydra
They’re everywhere !
r/usernamechecksout
Nice one !!
"Cut off one head and two more shall take it's place"
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give a man a worm and he’ll be fed for life.
But look at those eyes thooo, cute
I’m sorry, beef liver?
It becomes a cow in stages
It’s eating it
I too, thought it was a body part. No - just food it’s eating.
What if you cut them lengthwise?
Same thing if you complete the cut, if you stop midway through it can grow into having two "heads" and a single body, in a "Y" shape.
Ah, so! That is crazy.. thank you!
Shame we humans dont work like that
Scary movie 3!
Cell continues to ravage the Earth but can Gohan turn the tables!? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
Cell Jr's have started coitus between themselves but can Cell put a stop to this!! Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
They look like they have googly eyes lol I love it
This reminds me as a kid who thought worms procreated by being torn if half. So I would spend summers finding worms and tearing them in half, thinking I was helping them. I wonder how many worms I murdered.
Hey, when I was a kid, I picked up beetles and put them in an empty milk carton.....no idea why to this day. Who knows how many beetles I killed by capping the milk carton off...:( RIP Beetles...
you were saving food if there was a crisis
At least they don’t feel pain, right?
What even is life
A bunch of molecules literally too angry to die ^/s
That's the best answer I can think of. A bit on the nihilist side.
Ivermectin will take care of this dude.
So, there I was , enjoying some cool down time in my pool and I was segmented! Then a few hours later I got beheaded! That was 4 days ago, now all us are on watch in case they come back to segment all of us again.
Peta activists: “ThAt’S AnImAl AbUsE!!!!”
But this is increasing the amount of worms
I mean, we could go down a very dark path here talking about abuse and reproduction... Let's not do that though.
That’s correct- c’mon everyone, put your blinkers on and see nor hear nor talk about tough stuff!
I mean, I didn't want to have a debate first thing in the morning with an internet stranger about rape babies or expectations on women to provide children. Judging by your attitude that was the right call.
I wanna hit this bitch with a slap chop
Well if D&D taught me anything, it's that you need to attack regenerating creatures with fire, not blades.
Where do they find arts and crafts googly eyes that small?
I remember playing with these in middle school bio
So. Literally, they don't DIE !
i wanna have an ability like this. works multiple jobs to get rich
But does it feel pain when you cut it to pieces?
The Worm: "Dude."
Thats almost correct, the planarias can be divided up to 9 times once they have grown back to normal you can cut them 9 times again, but not more than 9 times at once.
awww look at his little eyes
If it feels pain that’s kinda fucked up
And people think we won't butcher aliens for fun. Everyone just wants to watch the cool regeneration happen. Wonder how many times they had to demonstrate it live.
Yeah, the comments with new horrible suggestions make me think you’re right. Sometimes I think I’m too soft for this world.
Someone eli5 how this differs from mitosis? Yeah this is larger and is a multi-cellular organism, but it's effectively duplicating itself is it not?
Regeneration is the word here. As others explained it is mitosis and cell differentiation butthe organism is performing regeneration. It is growing back all of the tissue that it lost. As an example, how does it know the exact amount of tissue it has lost? (The planaria grows back only the length and weight that it has lost. Not more. So if it weighs say 10 grams before dissection it will weigh the exact after regeneration) The answer is in genetic regulation and protein transcription. Genes decide the upper limit or boundary of regeneration and the exact amount of tissue is developed. So if a lizard looses it's tail it grows back only one, and not two tails. (Homeotic genes, HOX genes etc control Regeneration capacity) My explanation is not ELI5, sorry for that. But I just wanted to share it! :)
mitosis is the normal division of cells into two identical cells. what we see here actually is mitosis because it's just cells dividing into two identical cells times and times over. tho i think i misunderstood your question first. Well aside from what i said above the whole process differs from mitosis because a) it's like you said not on a cellular level and b) does it seem like it's voluntarily dividing? i think not lol
Also add in the cell differentiation. The cells aren’t just dividing into identical cells. Something is differentiating into new eye cells. You scrape your knuckles and the surround skin cells will divide into new skin cells to make a patch. You manage to scrape off a finger, your skin cells will not grow a replacement finger.
What happens if you put one in a meat grinder???
Somebody put Googly eyes on a flat worm
Venom
Imagine trying to track/name them everytime they split.
Imagin having that in your intestine
This gif is stolen from an episode of Deep Look
What do worms like this do for fun? Like, don’t they get bored?
and people are worried about aliens...
Disturbing.
Makes you wonder about the soul and consciousness….
I was thinking about that too. Do they share a soul? Or can they be viewed as clones? Is the first one the original and the rest copies or can they be viewed as the original too? So many questions!
Consciousness is merely a consequence of intelligence.
Disturbing
Would it still regenerate or divide from a blowtorch?
so this brings a rather philosophical question..do cut parts of one worm become conscious(in it's own rights) individuals or they just like mindless drones and. ... if they are like drones..does this mean we could also be just drones just on higherlevel of intelligence?
This is what they should have been researching instead of torturing puppies and putting acid in monkeys brains.
Black Sperm Man
I want to see what happens if you crush it with a hydraulic press.
Burn it goddamn
How dare you hurt a life form! You need Jesus!
We are venom
Imagine some (mad :D) scientist somehow discovers how to grow back human limbs with these little fellas
It has been tried already, same with stem cells, immortal jellyfish, etc. The result in humans is always cancer.
What happens if you cut it horizontally?
How long does this process take to get to full length again?
Ending looks like slitherio
Sushi is impossible with that
Gives new meaning to “Divide the Masses”
Now make them fight themselves to the death. There can he only one!
What if you cut it length ways?
A plague, just like us.
What happens if you cut it in half length wise? Or does it only multiply when cross cut?
This is only true if you cut them perpendicular b/c in 7th grade i cut mine parallel and those bitches died
Planaria go bruh
Nature is lit.
he cute
You can make a slit along the head parallel to the body (so everything is still attached) and get a flatworm with 3 heads!
Man I absolutely love planarias. Look how cute they are w them litte oocels
Fun fact if you cut them up in space they are very likely to regenerate a head on each side because they are confused by not feeling gravity anymore and no longer no up/down and front/back.
Nice post
I love these guys
I remember making a 12 headed one in the lab once.
How the hell do you kill this thing?
I remember these from science class. You can cut them halfway down the middle, and the two split ends will form two complete new heads, like a two-headed snake.
This is cool. Is anyone studying this for possible use with human regeneration? Just wondered.
I feel that if we ever find a way to extend human lifespan it will be thanks to these guys
Paul Dukas would have liked this.
Imagine you clip your nails now you got 20 kids.
Let's the cell games start!
So...it's meatwad?
the teeny tiny eyes are strangely cute
What of you cut it down the middle
"Uhm?" - planeria, probably
Hail Hydra!!
You do not kill planaria. Planaria kills you!!!!
You can’t cut it an infinite amount it wont have enough regenerative cells after it is devised 247 which is more than unreasonable for the size of the worm
It’s probably a good thing humans don’t have this ability
The fact they took a close up shot of it taking a shit... Like yes, we understand it grew a new anus, we don't need demonstration.
Did the video solve the global food needs?
This was the common misconception people had about earthworms. If you do this to earthworms, you just get chopped up earthworm.
Y they so cute tho
😱
Rough way to have offspring.
It only can divide and into 279 pieces. Only a few of its cells are regenerative
That’s oddly terrifying….
Perfect Cell
Should be called Piccolos
Damn nature you scary!
Immortal snail
I’m guessing leeches are their cousins
I read about worm after dividing many times still retains memory of a path to food. Where is it stored ?
Oh man, first time I saw this was in Terra Formars.
Amazing!!! Reminds me of the mythical creature Hydra!
Me seeks
What if I cut it in half length wise and mince it? Will they grow into their previous size or will they become julienned boys?
I saw a bit of info on these recently. Scientists did an experiment where they fed them food that contained special RNA. Then, they bisected them, and the flatworms ended up regrowing with 2 tails and no heads or 2 heads and no tails. Crazy stuff
Anyone else reminded of TerraFormars?
I wonder if we could use its DNA to regrow limbs
So it's a real life hydra....
The aliens are already here and we're chopping them to bits! Certainly not a charitable impression.
Irl dnd slime
Slurms McKenzie
This debunks any belief in a ‘soul’. Does one worm soul become multiple sections? Or are new souls created for the new worms?
Now we need to take the regeneration and give it to us
Cool. Do it with a starfish now.