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Heavy Metal-Eating 'Superworms' Unearthed in U.K.

by National Geographic News

Thanks to Petter G�sstr�m for the link.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081007-super-worms.html

Heavy Metal-Eating "Superworms" Unearthed in U.K.

Newly evolved "superworms" that feast on toxic waste could help cleanse polluted industrial land, a new study says.

These hardcore heavy metal fans, unearthed at disused mining sites in England and Wales, devour lead, zinc, arsenic, and copper.

The earthworms excrete a slightly different version of the metals, making them easier for plants to suck up. Harvesting the plants would leave cleaner soil behind.

"These worms seem to be able to tolerate incredibly high concentrations of heavy metals, and the metals seem to be driving their evolution," said lead researcher Mark Hodson of the University of Reading in England.

"If you took an earthworm from the back of your garden and put it in these soils, it would die," Hodson said.

DNA analysis of lead-tolerant worms living at Cwmystwyth, Wales, show they belong to a newly evolved species that has yet to be named, he said.

Two other superworms, including an arsenic-munching population from southwest England, are also likely new to science, Hodson said.

"It's a good bet they are also different species, but we haven't categorically proved that," he said.

The findings were announced in September at the British Association Festival of Science in Liverpool.

Micro Processors

Hodson's team's investigation used x-rays to zap worms with intense light, allowing them to track metal particles a thousand times smaller than a grain of salt.

The findings suggest the arsenic-tolerant population produces a special protein that "wraps up the metal and keeps it inert and safe so it doesn't interact with the earthworms," Hodson said.

The lead-eating Welsh worms likewise use a protein to render the metal harmless inside their bodies, he added.

The toxicity of the metal particles once they have passed through the worms isn't yet known, since the protective protein wrappings will degrade over time, the study authors noted.

But experiments suggest the superworms make the metals easier for plants to extract from the soil, Hodson said.

"The earthworms don't necessarily render the metals less toxic, but they do seem to make them available for plant uptake," he said. This raises this possibility of using the earthworms as part of efforts to clean up land contaminated by mining and heavy industry.

(Related: "Microorganism Cleans Up Toxic Groundwater" [April 7, 2004].)

Plant Mining

The long-term aim is to breed and then release the worms at polluted sites to speed up the process of soil development and help kick-start the ecosystem's rehabilitation, Hodson said.

Plants could be used to extract toxic metals once the superworms have got to work, he added.

This in turn could boost the development of methods for using plants to mine metals.

"The goal at the end of the rainbow is that the plants become so efficient at it that you can use them as a source of metal in industrial processes," Hodson said. "So you just crop off the plants and take them to a processing plant."

Peter Kille of the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University in Wales has also been tracking the metal-eating worms.

He said previous studies show it takes earthworms many years to improve polluted soils. While the new superworms should prove a useful tool, even they can't compete with industrial cleanup processes that take one to two years.

The worms, however, are an excellent way to diagnose metal concentrations in contaminated land, Kille said.

"Basically you can see the earthworms as biological dipsticks of the soil toxicity and the metal levels," he said.

And the superworms are perfect subjects for studying evolution in action, Kille added.

"What's really interesting is that each patch of high metal creates a unique evolutionary event," he said. The worms either develop new ways of dealing with the metals or find solutions similar to other populations.

"Each time it happens it's a localized event, and it allows us to study the processes of evolution that create the adaptation," he said.

Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2008 | Permalink

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1. Comment #262736 by Cluebot on October 9, 2008 at 11:05 am

Now, if we could just find a memetic equivilent of these worms for cleaning up religion... ;)

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2. Comment #262740 by Ishruul on October 9, 2008 at 11:10 am

In your fucking face Kirk Cameron!!!!

Suck it long and suck it hard, here's evolution for you!

Other Comments by Ishruul

3. Comment #262743 by idragosani on October 9, 2008 at 11:11 am

*does devil horns salute with hands*

Other Comments by idragosani

4. Comment #262772 by Knucklesdude on October 9, 2008 at 12:07 pm

I thought metal was the devil's music...

Other Comments by Knucklesdude

5. Comment #262795 by jmrunning3 on October 9, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Fuckin' brilliant discovery!

Horns up!

Metal Rules!

Other Comments by jmrunning3

6. Comment #262800 by DamnDirtyApe on October 9, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Ooh ooh, recent evolution. keep us posted!

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7. Comment #262801 by Koreman on October 9, 2008 at 1:01 pm

Nice. Now look at the nightmare of all evolutionists...

PS, Cameron must experience some growing pains.

Other Comments by Koreman

8. Comment #262805 by Sciros on October 9, 2008 at 1:18 pm

It seems God has created some superworms to deal with contaminated ecosystems. Truly, he is great.

Other Comments by Sciros

9. Comment #262808 by Vinelectric on October 9, 2008 at 1:22 pm

I'm gobsmacked by the discovery but...

"So you just crop off the plants and take them to a processing plant."

Process them into what? What is the use of recycling of these poisonous metals? No matter how you repackage these heavy metals, in the long term, they are bound to come back and haunt the environment.

Arsenic and lead can not practically be destroyed or eradicated. Wouldn't it be more sensible to try to avoid the extrication of these metals from the Earth's crust in the first place?

I guess with our current dependence on burning fossil fuels that may not be possible afterall.

Other Comments by Vinelectric

10. Comment #262809 by Stafford Gordon on October 9, 2008 at 1:24 pm

Kenneth Miller touches on recent evolution in his Dover Trial lecture.

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11. Comment #262810 by Swordmaiden on October 9, 2008 at 1:29 pm

ummm....did anyone see that Stephen King film...'Dreamcatcher' ?? !!!

Just a thought.....welsh worms....one day eating nuclear waste....!!

oh now I'm gonna have nightmares!

Other Comments by Swordmaiden

12. Comment #262812 by Wosret on October 9, 2008 at 1:39 pm

This was to be expected. Ever since I heard of the bacteria that was found consuming nylon, and others consuming the byproducts of world war two explosive productions it became painfully obvious to me that sayings like: "Plastic takes a million years to break down" and so forth was horrendously flawed. All the materials that currently cannot be broken down by any known animal are niches, just waiting to be taken advantage of. The evidence seems to suggest that it doesn't take very long at all for animals to start taking advantage of them as well.

In short, I saw this coming. I also expect to see similar news about other such industrial compounds.

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13. Comment #262814 by Sciros on October 9, 2008 at 1:41 pm

We need to engineer a worm that eats nuclear waste and poops out money.

I mean.. uh.. God needs to intelligently design one.

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14. Comment #262816 by Vinelectric on October 9, 2008 at 1:47 pm

Mitchell Gilks

"Plastic takes a million years to break down" and so forth was horrendously flawed.

You can't break down Lead and Arsenic. No-matter what the worms do with them :(

Other Comments by Vinelectric

15. Comment #262818 by FatherNature on October 9, 2008 at 1:52 pm

DNA analysis of lead-tolerant worms living at Cwmystwyth, Wales, show they belong to a newly evolved species that has yet to be named...

How about naming the species "ledzeppelini"

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16. Comment #262819 by Wosret on October 9, 2008 at 1:55 pm

14. Comment #262816 by Vinelectric

The warms aren't breaking them down, the vegetation is reducing their toxicity levels. The warms merely made it possible.

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17. Comment #262850 by liberalartist on October 9, 2008 at 2:53 pm

But what happens when this superworm grows up and attacks Manhattan?

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18. Comment #262855 by ridelo on October 9, 2008 at 3:05 pm

Seems almost to good to be true. But if it is effective, worth a Nobel prize. Could save the Earth of the plague of rogue batteries etc... You could use the plants to regain the metals so that mining will no more be necessary.

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19. Comment #262863 by andraste77 on October 9, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Will these worms ever be for sale to the general public? I've got some stuff in my garage...

Edited: OH, Father Nature, that's a good one.

How about "Oliga-Motorhead-chaeta."

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20. Comment #262876 by LeeC on October 9, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Heavy Metal-Eating "Superworms" Unearthed in U.K.

Why do I always think of the music first when I read "Heavy Metal"?

These hardcore heavy metal fans, unearthed at disused mining sites in England and Wales

Yep... sounds like some metal concerts I've been too. The great sweaty and unwashed mob.

Lee

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21. Comment #262885 by LeeC on October 9, 2008 at 5:25 pm

DNA analysis of lead-tolerant worms living at Cwmystwyth, Wales, show they belong to a newly evolved species that has yet to be named, he said

I vote for the "Manowar worm".... pure metal at its best

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22. Comment #262887 by kraut on October 9, 2008 at 5:35 pm

You can't break down Lead and Arsenic

Of course you cannot break em down, since they are elements, and have been around as long as the earth.

They are present in a lot of rocks - galena for instance - and become concentrated through mining and subsequent processing, but are needed for various chemical processes and for a variety of products.
Lead flashings are still used today, so is lead for sound proofing etc.
If one knows how to treat it, it is not dangerous at all. Just don't eat it or feed it to your children.
If harvested from mining tailings it becomes useful again instead of being an uncontrolled environmental hazard.

This fear of "chemicals" as well as "radiation" drives me bonkers.

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23. Comment #262895 by KRKBAB on October 9, 2008 at 6:16 pm

Heavy Metal Worms could only be from a place with TEN letters and no proper vowells in it: Cwmystwyth. I have to go to Wales just to see signs like this. Why does Tom Jones not have a name with a dozen consecutive consonants?

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24. Comment #262897 by GordonYKWong on October 9, 2008 at 6:27 pm

Cue Kirk Cameron or VenomFangX: "It is still a worm. Tell me when this worm give birth to a crocoduck, then I will have faith in Evolution. Until then Jesus still loves me..."

*KC or VFX Exit stage right, frolicking with hands firmly on crotch*

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25. Comment #262901 by Thor25 on October 9, 2008 at 6:46 pm

Clearly these worms were Intelligently Designed, God is cleaning the Environment for us.

God be praised!

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26. Comment #262902 by Vinelectric on October 9, 2008 at 6:52 pm

kraut

Of course you cannot break em down, since they are elements....

SIGHHH...

The "can't break down Lead or Arsenic" was simply a criticism of Mitchell's analogy with Plastics and other complex structured chemicals.

Plastics can be broken down, metals can't be.

When dealing with heavy metals, you don't aim for reducing the total amount present in the planet but you can certainly reduce the burden of the "consumable", and thus toxic, forms of these elements released into the ecosystem. Once it's there, it is potentially out of your control.

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27. Comment #262905 by Vinelectric on October 9, 2008 at 7:05 pm

KRKBAB

There's a village in Wales called:

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

All one word.

Other Comments by Vinelectric

28. Comment #262907 by rod-the-farmer on October 9, 2008 at 7:10 pm

The earthworms excrete a slightly different version of the metals, making them easier for plants to suck up.

Pardon ? A "slightly different version" of the metal ? What could THAT possibly be ? More/less neutrons in the nucleus ? Now THAT would be a neat trick.

(Note to editor of original article - miracle happens here - requires additional explanation)

Unless they mean something like ferrous/ferric iron....or maybe a chloride ?

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29. Comment #262925 by aegis on October 9, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Miyazaki was right. The funny thing is that this is life imitating art. This news story is essentially the plot of "Nausicca - Valley of the Wind".

As for "VenomFangX", is that the idiot kid from YouTube? I'm sure they'd say that these worms (like every other new discovery that breaks a hole in the wall of their stupidity) were there all along, just undiscovered. See what foresight god has? Ugggh.

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30. Comment #262937 by ty90 on October 9, 2008 at 9:45 pm

I pity the kid that tries to kill one of these with a shovel..

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31. Comment #262961 by Deadity on October 9, 2008 at 11:50 pm

Pardon ? A "slightly different version" of the metal ? What could THAT possibly be ? More/less neutrons in the nucleus ? Now THAT would be a neat trick.

The findings suggest the arsenic-tolerant population produces a special protein that "wraps up the metal and keeps it inert and safe so it doesn't interact with the earthworms," Hodson said.

I guess the metal could be said to be a "different version" in lament's terms.

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32. Comment #262964 by Ipsilon on October 9, 2008 at 11:59 pm

Well... heavy metals CAN be broken down: that's what nuclear fission is all about, isn't it? How about Super-superworms that break down heavy metals into water and oxygen, AND produce energy. That would be cool!!!

Other Comments by Ipsilon

33. Comment #262982 by jeffers on October 10, 2008 at 1:38 am

AAAaaaaaaarrrggghhhhh!!!!! (sorry - anguished Welshman) :-)

Cwmystwyth - has 4 proper vowels in it w-y-w-y

pronounced oo-uuh-oo-ii

CoomUstwith

Diolch a Nos Da!

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34. Comment #262989 by JAMCAM87 on October 10, 2008 at 2:07 am

The worms probably break up heavy metal aggregates (not the atoms themselves, CERN does that) and leave them attached to organic compounds (methyls for instance) so that they can be absorbed by plants.

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35. Comment #262990 by Vaal on October 10, 2008 at 2:15 am

Maybe they are one of Wooter's (Isthatclear) worms?

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36. Comment #262995 by tobybarrett on October 10, 2008 at 2:42 am

Comment #262810 by Swordmaiden on October 9, 2008 at 1:29 pm
ummm....did anyone see that Stephen King film...'Dreamcatcher' ?? !!!

Just a thought.....welsh worms....one day eating nuclear waste....!!

oh now I'm gonna have nightmares!

No, no. I am sure they are evolving into giant maggots that will kill us all by turning us bright green!

Obligatory Doctor Who reference: The Green Death, 1973, with Jon Pertwee but not, alas, the future Mrs Dawkins. But it does have Katie Manning in it.

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37. Comment #263000 by Telic on October 10, 2008 at 3:30 am

Some people seem to be concerned that this discovery isn't actually useful, and so what if plants can now take up the chemicals and be harvested... particularly Vinelectric

9. Comment #262808 by Vinelectric

Wouldn't it be more sensible to try to avoid the extrication of these metals from the Earth's crust in the first place?

I think the way to look at this is as a form of recycling.

Like it or not there are hundreds of uses for these heavy metals in chemical and industrial processes, so the ability to accumulate waste quantities in plants for easy harvesting means that we have to extricate less of these from the earth's crust in the future.

We need these elements for our modern lives, and now instead of leaving them as pollutants in places where they don't naturally occur in large quantities, we have some hope of actually creating our own elemental cycle, like nature's own Nitrogen cycle...

Other Comments by Telic

38. Comment #263001 by hungarianelephant on October 10, 2008 at 3:34 am

Cwmystwyth. I have to go to Wales just to see signs like this.

St Patrick took all the vowels from Wales to Ireland. Possibly.

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39. Comment #263004 by mixmastergaz on October 10, 2008 at 3:53 am

Much as I'd like to believe that evolution-bashers will be given pause for thought by this discovery I'm sure they'll have found a way to (sorry) worm out of it before they've even reached to the end of the article.

1.) The worms have been around since the world began 6,000 years ago. We're just slow to catch up.

2.) The worms are a gift from God, whose creative activity is ongoing.

3.) They haven't evolved, they haven't evolved, they haven't, they haven't, they haven't! (Sticks finger in ears)

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40. Comment #263006 by scottishgeologist on October 10, 2008 at 4:07 am

Mixmastergaz

Re: the worms being around for 6000 years.

Of course, this being October, we are getting close to the Universe's birthday (Nightfall before Oct 23rd 4004 BC)

I wonder if some fundies actually celebrate this day? (Happy 6012th birthday Earth!)

It was Archbishop Ussher who worked this out of course from biblical chronology and various secular events

Article here (usual Wiki caveats and warnings apply)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology

:-))
SG

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41. Comment #263007 by Peacebeuponme on October 10, 2008 at 4:08 am

Hungarian

He took a whole bunch of extra letters. Wales may have placenames like Brynhyfryd and Aberystwyth, but the Irish have names like Fionnghuala (pretty much "Fiona") and Muirgheal ("Muriel").

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42. Comment #263009 by hungarianelephant on October 10, 2008 at 4:14 am

You should see how long it takes them to say "please stand clear of the doors". Though my personal favourite is the hilariously obviously made up and useless "Lána Tram"

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43. Comment #263017 by Szymanowski on October 10, 2008 at 4:56 am

So these worms make it now more likely that food can be contaminated by heavy metals?

*nervous*

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44. Comment #263018 by brainsys on October 10, 2008 at 5:00 am

"Lead Researcher". Plumbing new depths?

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45. Comment #263019 by JAMCAM87 on October 10, 2008 at 5:04 am

Symanovski,

Well the worms are only found in industrial areas where there are no crops. But if the worms somehow increase the heavy metals' abilty to leach in rainwater then they might enter water systems which isn't good news.

By the way did you name yourself after the Polish composer? One of my favourite composers.

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46. Comment #263021 by KRKBAB on October 10, 2008 at 5:11 am

Jeffers,
In my tiny, insular country (USA) "y" is only a vowell sometimes and "w" is right out! However, I'm told that things get "different" when one travels outside of the USA and some people even speak different languages. I'm also told that the only way I can truly be saved is through Jesus. any advice?

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47. Comment #263026 by huzonfurst on October 10, 2008 at 5:30 am

Dylan Thomas made up a Welsh word - Llareggub - and got in trouble when people figured it out.

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48. Comment #263030 by Ulixes Lactanis on October 10, 2008 at 5:45 am

Like with bacteria eating nylon, they will claim that it really is nothing more than microevolution (not do be confused with a very, very little bit of evolution).

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49. Comment #263034 by Vinelectric on October 10, 2008 at 5:52 am

Telic

Worms tend to lie at the bottom of the food chain. Larger animals eat them and, in this case, may end up dispersing the metallic products through a successive chain of predators. Even outdoor short range firing arms camps are known to run a risk of spreading Lead this way. Imagine how healthy the fauna would be at the "toxic woods" where a waste ground used to be.

I'm just sceptical that this method of recycling can go easily out of control.

http://www.itrcweb.org/Documents/SMART-2.pdf

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50. Comment #263044 by DamnDirtyApe on October 10, 2008 at 6:28 am

I pity the kid that tries to -eat- one of these worms.

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