image: If you're enjoying some tasty food today you probably owe a little thanks to earthworms. How is it that these detritivores help make beloved compost? Like when we digest food, it's all chemistry, but earthworms have an extra enzyme that means they can eat materials not found in human diets. Yet all this powerful chemistry means not everyone sees earthworms as the greatest creature to crawl -- find out all the dirt in the latest Reactions video here: https://youtu.be/2Pa1FwmKZcQ. view more
Credit: The American Chemical Society
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2017 -- If you're enjoying some tasty food today that has at least one ingredient that was farmed somewhere, you probably owe a little thanks to earthworms. How is it that these detritivores - literally dirt eaters - turn what humans find inedible into beloved compost? After the biology and physics of swallowing and "chewing", like us it's all chemistry for digestion. But earthworms have an extra enzyme that allows them to munch through cellulose, the ultimate fiber that makes tree bark a non-starter in human diets. Yet all this powerful chemistry means not everyone sees earthworms as the greatest creature to crawl - find out all the dirt in the latest Reactions video here: https://youtu.be/2Pa1FwmKZcQ.
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