2 Finds Add To Giant Earthworm Science In Northwest 39
According to an article at Science Daily, "Native, possibly giant, earthworm science in the Pacific Northwest is advancing with the discovery of two new specimens from opposite sides of the interior Columbia River basin. University of Idaho soil scientist Jodi Johnson-Maynard, an associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said an earthworm that was most likely a giant Palouse earthworm was found in early March near Moscow [Idaho]." I have trouble with the idea that worms of merely a foot long have trouble meeting the designation "giant" outside of Tremors or Arrakis. Update: 05/06 17:44 GMT by T : Correction: That's Moscow, Idaho, rather than Washington. Thanks to the alert reader who spotted this.
Yeah, that is a big one... (Score:1, Funny)
"Do we have wormsign?" (Score:5, Funny)
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Wrong Story/Movie (Score:2)
Global worming! (Score:5, Funny)
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Vermiculture has a lot of potential. And not just in the current global-warming-will-kill-us-all-we-must-think-of-the-children way you might be thinking.
Of course inexpensive, self replicating solutions don't have a big enough profit margin and as far as I know there's no big vermi-lobby group out there (though a lot of lobbyists are pretty close to worms) nor any big subsidies.
Vermiculture is great (Score:2)
Worms condition the soil by reducing compaction and improving the water holding ability of the soil. Unfortunately a lot of human agricultural methods (insecticides and fertilisers) can harm them or kill them.
Apart from their natural soil conditioning function, they can also be harvested for use as high protein animal feed.
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There's a rumor floating around that they just left a Naval reactor core lying on the surface because the dirt they were going to bury it in was already hotter than the core!
Bait (Score:5, Funny)
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Giant earthworms... (Score:2)
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How much of the worm do you need? (Score:2)
Why is that not the case here?
Re:How much of the worm do you need? (Score:5, Informative)
I don't know if you've ever dissected a worm in high school biology class, but they've pretty much got organs in the front and intestines and nerves through the rest and then a place to poop at the end and that's about it (simplifying).
But yeah... worms = uber creepy.
moscow, id not wa (Score:3, Informative)
Giant? (Score:2)
Re:Giant? (Score:4, Interesting)
No kidding... I suspect these things just hide fairly well.
In Northern New England, I've personally seen worms stretching all the way across my front walkway (over two feet) during light evening rain - And judging by the speed with which it snapped back into its hole when I poked at it, I'd say it had more than half its body still underground at the time.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy". Just because we haven't caught and dissected one yet, doesn't mean they don't exist.
That's not a worm... (Score:5, Interesting)
Try this one on for size...
http://museumvictoria.com.au/DiscoveryCentre/Infosheets/Giant-Gippsland-Earthworm [museumvictoria.com.au]
Sandtrout (Score:3, Informative)
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The sandtrout come from the worms themselves. They are the next stage in the life cycle. The real question is how did we get the giant worms without the sandtrout and without a large amount of spice as a catalyst.
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If you pay really, really, really close attentionto Children of Dune, you'll find that mentioned.
So the worms came from aliens. Just like the Mayan temples.
Yes, but... (Score:2)
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A question for anyone who RTFA (Score:1)
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This explains the Nevada tremblors also! (Score:1)
1/ serious work activity
2/ Buckaroo Banzai's prototype earth borer is fully
operational
3/ The chinese are beating us to the punch and digging thru before we can....
Gaaaaah-Rooooooovy!! (Score:2, Informative)
Let's just hope one of them finds that super-suit.
Did they use maker hooks? (Score:2)
Are these just little makers?
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Fry: Good for him!
Naw. They're just little makers. They're cute until you pop 'em in water.
Then it gets nasty.