Underfed Worms Program their Babies to Cope with Famine (IMAGE)

Duke University

Underfed Worms Program their Babies to Cope with Famine

Caption

Worms whose mothers didn't get enough to eat during pregnancy cope better with famine, finds a new study of the tiny nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The findings are consistent with a decades-old idea for humans, namely that pregnant women who don't get enough to eat produce babies with 'thrifty' metabolisms that are good at rationing nutrients and storing fat.

Credit

Photo by Richard Pell, Carnegie Mellon.

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