Fig-Dwelling Worm Is a Mighty Mouth-Morpher

On La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, microscopic worms that inhabit wild figs can develop five different mouths. The structure of these mouths varies so widely that the scientists who found the worm, Pristionchus borbonicus, initially thought that worms with different mouths were actually different species. In a new study, published online today (Jan. 15) in the journal Science Advances, the researchers detailed these new species of microscopic worms, also known as nematodes, describ