Let's hope that no mad scientists discover an augmentation ray, because I would not like this hydrothermal worm to be the size of a whale. Heck, I don't even want it to be the size of a striped bass.


The image was taken by a Quanta Scanning Electron Microscope, which can magnify things up to one million times. The microscopic beast is a worm found in a hydrothermal vent, an Earth fissure that puts water and hot gasses in contact, generating rich life environments. Worms like this don't have a digestive tract, but bacteria that transforms hemoglobin into carbon compounds. The worm can absorb the carbon compounds directly.

Yes, there are vampire bacteria living inside the worms. The world is a wonderful place. [FEI]