Scientists discovered that tiny worms move much faster when they are in tight spaces rather than open areas. This is different from how humans or other animals move. In experiments with California blackworms, researchers found that the worms could quickly slide through narrow glass tubes but moved slowly in wider ones.
The worms were placed in water-filled glass channels of varying widths. When the channel was about twice as wide as the worm, it could move swiftly and reach the end in just a minute. However, when the channel was wider, it took up to five times longer for the worms to get across.
To better understand this, scientists created computer models of the worms moving through virtual channels. These model worms behaved similarly to the real ones, showing that narrow spaces make them move faster by forcing them to push against the walls and focus their energy forward.
Engineers are interested in these findings because they could help design robots that move like worms. Such robots might be useful for tasks like searching through rubble after an earthquake or traveling through small tubes inside the human body.
The researchers also found a simple way to explain why this happens: it depends on how bendy the worm is and how much space it has. When there’s less space, the worm can’t move around as much and instead moves straight forward, making it faster. In wider spaces, the worm tends to wriggle more without direction, slowing it down.