Research to me had always held a substantial element of intrigue. True researchers, I believed, held in the back of their minds the comforting thought that directly from their hands would spring the cure for cancer. It saves the world. Very quickly, however, I realized that these preconceptions were the biological equivalent of believing Indiana Jones does real archaeology. And worms fit snugly into this paradigm.
Worms are simple creatures.
But in their simplicity, they still possess basic life functions common to almost every living organism. Cell cycle, neuronal firing, sensation are all characteristics that become very difficult to decipher within the complexity of the target human organism. When examined in the much simpler, much better defined C. elegans, however, amazing results appear. This short life allows fast-moving studies of the genetic nature of parents and their progeny. Second, worms are extremely cheap and easy to take care of, living simply on a bed of bacteria.