Terrific Tube Worms

Hey kids. It's Willie the Word Worm again, back with a special report on a very interesting kind of worm—the tubeworm. In last month's issue of Discovery, there was an article that talked about extremophiles. An extremophile is an organism that lives in a harsh environment that would kill other organisms. Well, have I got an extraordinary extremophile for you. 

Giant tubeworms are some of the most interesting animals in the world. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a worm. These worms live on the bottom of the ocean where there is no sunlight. They live in colonies beside hydrothermal vents. A hydrothermal vent is a crack in the ocean floor where lava and hot gases spew out. The water around these vents can reach over 600 degrees Fahrenheit. But this heat doesn't bother the tubeworms. They actually like it. Furthermore, the water pressure that is present around these vents is enormous. Do you know how your eardrums begin to hurt if you swim too far under water? That is because the deeper you go down, the more pressure builds up. Can you imagine swimming over 6,000 feet down to the bottom of the ocean? Your eardrums would burst and your lungs would be crushed. But this pressure doesn't bother tubeworms. God designed them to be able to take the extreme heat, pressure, and darkness.

Furthermore, tubeworms don't have a stomach. That's right, they don't really even have a mouth or any of the other organs that are used by most creatures to digest food. How do they live? Well, they have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that lives in their bodies. The bacteria produce the different chemicals that the worms need, and the worms supply the bacteria with hemoglobin. Those who believe in evolution have tried to explain how the worms and bacteria evolved, but they cannot. You see, the worms cannot live without the bacteria, and the bacteria need the worms as well. Their symbiotic relationship shows that the organisms must have been designed by an intelligent designer. Oh, one more thing. The chemical called nitrate is poisonous to most animals, yet tubeworms can carry lots of it in their blood without being harmed. The most brilliant scientists in the world cannot figure out how they do it. Evolution could never explain something as terrific as the tubeworm. Tubeworms are great evidence to show that God exists. You heard it here first, folks. You can always count on Willie the Word Worm to bring you the latest news.

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