“Her teeth are poisonous copper.” Scientists reveal the mystery of “blood worms” that has puzzled them for years.. (Video)
Scientists have discovered one of the mysterious secrets that have puzzled them for years. The “blood worm”, which some scientific sources described as a “nightmare” due to its strange and frightening appearance to many, has metal teeth, that is, made of hard metal, which has puzzled and surprised researchers since its discovery.
And “sputnikn” quoted the scientific magazine “sciencealert”, that seeing these worms is not for the faint of heart, although their appearance may sometimes deceive, but they are considered a carnivore.
"Bloodworms", also known as "rough worms" of the genus (Glycera) are carnivores that burrow deep into the mud along the bottom of lakes, and come out to catch prey, but what is interesting is that they have jaws equipped with copper teeth and a mixture of poison that causes Paralysis, as the article pointed out.
Biochemist Herbert White of the University of California describes these worms as "very repugnant in that they are bad-tempered and easily provoked. When faced with another worm, they fight with their copper jaws as a weapon."
In a new study, led by researcher William Wonderley, in White's laboratory, published in the journal "Matter", researchers investigated how the blood worm "Glycera dibranchiata" acquires copper for its jaw, which constitutes about 10% of the overall structure of the jaw, and the rest is made up of protein and melanin. , which gives the jaw and fangs tremendous and great resistance, extending the life of the creature by about 5 years.
The researchers analyzed jaw tissue and studied cells cultured in the lab, identifying the structural protein that helps these different chemical components assemble successfully.
The researchers suggested that a protein called multitasking protein (MTP), which is highly effective in this area, could help point the way to manufacturing processes for new materials.
According to the researchers, the specific protein plays many chemical roles in the end-to-end jaw production process.
It also includes binding copper (collected from marine sediments), stimulating melanogenesis, acting as a regulator and synthesiser, and synthesising the resulting mixture of protein, copper, and melanin that forms the jaws of the bloodworm's proboscis.
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