I've been dedicating one to three hours collectively over a few mornings each week to delving into random science topics. Recently, I've been getting back into this habit slowly because it truly makes me so happy. I get a serious hit of dopamine, happiness, and joy when I learn something new in general in life. But exploring topics like history and science sends a jolt of joy through my body.
For the past year, my latest obsession has been with invertebrates, focusing mostly on Molluscs, Cephalopoda, and Arthropods.
I recently decided to dig into flatworms after learning that they can regenerate themselves after being cut into pieces. This piqued my curiosity, and here's what I discovered about flatworms today, or rather, here are the top three most fascinating things that I learned:
🌟😮 Regeneration Superstars: Flatworms are the superheroes of the animal world when it comes to regeneration. Did you know that some flatworm species can regenerate their entire body from just a tiny piece? That's right, chop them up (not that we're encouraging that!), and each piece can grow into a new worm. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it's real biology!
🌬️No Need for Airways: Ever thought about living without lungs or even a mouth to breathe? Flatworms are way ahead of us there. They breathe through their skin! These creatures don't have a specialized respiratory system like we do. Oxygen just diffuses directly through their skin. Talk about low maintenance!
🧠The Brainy Bunch: Don't let their simple appearance fool you. Flatworms have a more complex nervous system than you might expect. They have a brain-like structure and a pair of nerve cords running along their body. This setup helps them navigate their environment quite efficiently. They're the Einsteins of the invertebrate world!
It was fascinating to learn about flatworms. While on the topic, another thing I learned is that worms can belong to different animal groups, and there are approximately 15-20k+ species of worms. Who would've thunk it?
