Outmuscled: Muscles, not nerve cells, fail in old worms

For a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, it’s not the brain that goes in old age; it’s the muscles. This millimeter-long nematode, say researchers, may provide insights on why aging people also lose muscle power.

Over the past few decades, C. elegans has earned scientific fame because its transparent body and small total number of cells have enabled scientists to document the worm’s development from a fertilized egg into an adult animal.