Scientists have stopped a tiny worm like a deer in the headlights, paralyzing it with a stream of light. The mechanism that induces the incapacitation isn’t yet clear, but the paralysis occurs after the nematodes, C. elegans, are fed a molecule known to react to light. While toxic to some of the worms, the reaction appears to be reversible in others, researchers report online October 7 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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