A glowing orange worm appears in a darkened sea – and then quickly begins to peel itself apart, revealing a labyrinth of internal organs. Just as quickly, the worms zips itself up, again appearing as a bristled ribbon suspended in an inky ocean. Scientists hope to someday build a digital library of such visualizations – perhaps one for every living organism – and marshal the resources of cyberspace to help zoologists study and identify life on Earth. The worm in this digital dreamscape, a polychaete, was imaged using X-ray microtomography – a version of the classic CT scan optimized for miniature objects. Scientists at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece describe their newly optimized worm-imaging method Feb. 4 in ZooKeys. “This work will hopefully lead to a wider recognition of the usefulness of noninvasive imaging techniques in the zoological sciences,” said Alexander Ziegler, a zoologist at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin who was not a part of the team. “Technological progress is essential if classical zoological studies want to participate in the digital revolution” and reach a larger audience, he said. Scientists hope such virtual dissections will seed the growth of a global, digitized archive of organisms. Advantages of that include reducing the risk associated with shipping precious specimens from one lab to another, said Sarah Faulwetter, a graduate student who coauthored the current study. And, she adds: “The dissection of virtual specimens is something that is simply not possible with valuable, century-old museum material.” In this gallery, we’ve collected some of Faulwetter’s recently published videos and other favorites produced by her team, who are archiving the marine fauna of the Mediterranean Sea. Above: Clam This tiny bivalve appears ethereal and mysteriously translucent when scanned. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Polychaete Watch as this polychaete worm -- which appears to be caught in mid-yawn -- splits down the middle, opening up like a book. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Syllis gracilis The big drain-like tube running down the middle of this bizarre-looking worm is the polychaete's intestine. "Since the family Syllidae, to which Syllis belongs, is my favorite family of polychaetes, this would be my number one," Faulwetter said. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Glycera tesselata This bloodworm appears to peel itself open as the scanner produces cross sections of its front end. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Hediste diversicolor Spiny, colorful, and coiled, this polychaete appears to melt and vanish -- then bounce back. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Sea urchin Resembling a stumpy marine porcupine, the prickly sea urchin's spikes pack a punch. But wait until you see what's inside this echinoderm: crazy, five-fold symmetry. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Pectinaria koreni Starting off in grayscale, this visualization bursts in to color as this polychaete readies for its close-up. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Peanut Worm This worm resembles a pimply, warty peanut -- until you see what's inside. No circus snacks for you. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Chiton Its calcified shells resembling plates of armor, this mollusc appears frozen in battle. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Lumbrinereis latreilli Presented in false color, this visualization reveals a treasure trove of structures hiding inside the front end of this polychaete. The colors correspond to different tissue densities. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Juvenile Fish This fish appears ghostly and wraith-like when scanned, with bones seeming to appear and disappear at will. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Isopod Peering inside this curled up and leggy crustacean reveals what looks like a chain of caverns. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube

Hermodice carunculata This bristly fireworm is presented in both black and white and psychedelic false color, where the colors correspond to different tissue densities. Video: Sarah Faulwetter, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research/YouTube