Comments on: Extinction by Design: Guinea Worm

By: The Whiteworm Lichen

The Whiteworm Lichen — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:58:10 +0000

[…] Snakes are not the only animal to have assumed a worm-like form; indeed they are not even the only organism to do so. Here is a lichen, of all things, that seems to have decided it’d be cool to dress up as a Guinea Worm. […]

By: Stephanie Chasteen

Stephanie Chasteen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:49:52 +0000

I actually lived in Guinea for two years, home, not coincidentally, to Guinea Worm (though I think that the name actually referred to a broader geographic area than just that country). It was pretty much gone when I was there, but there were still yucky things that would poke their heads out of people. The worst (endemic to Senegal) was Tuumba fly. You’d hang your clothes on the line and the tuumba fly would lay eggs on your laundry. They’d hatch next to the warmth of your skin and find a nice warm place to burrow in while they grew bigger. I heard that it took a good couple shots of whisky to deal with getting them out. Those would manifest with a little bump on the skin. Looked like a mosquito bite, but you’d notice a little hole. An air hole (ewww!). So, the treatment apparently was to cover the air hole with vaseline, and wait…

By: The Seafaring Killer Bacterium

The Seafaring Killer Bacterium — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:33:34 +0000

[…] V. cholerae colonize the outside of copepod shells (Remember copepods from here and here?) and the insides of shellfish and must compete for space there in the life-sustaining biofilm. It […]

By: Jennifer Frazer

Jennifer Frazer — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:46:54 +0000

Thank you Jess! Glad you enjoyed it. : )

By: Jess Gribble

Jess Gribble — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:49:15 +0000

Beautifully written and fascinating, Jen. Thanks!