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Gone Fission

Posted by michael on from the live-bait dept.

Eddie writes "Just when you thought it was safe to go back into that snakehead fishpond behind the shopping center in Crofton, Md., now comes word of a new threat slithering into our environment - "nuclear worms" from Vietnam carrying cholera and other deadly diseases." There are a bunch of blurbs here and there about these worms - apparently this Washington Post story was the origin of most of them.

12 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. On behalf of the worm people... by wo1verin3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Leave us alone you ugly bags of mostly water"

  2. Speaking of pink worms... by Verizon+Guy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am reminded of this comic....

    --

    Aw, fuck it. Let's go bowling. - The Big Lebowski

  3. Bad idea by coryboehne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I really hate to see people importing forgein plants and animal species into this country without really stopping to think as to what the consequences could be. These worms not only have the potential to wipe out certain bi-valves. The article seems to imply that they really don't know what damage they could do. A bit of research would be a great idea. Anything that can survive on the dash of a hot car for 3 days is a serious ecological threat. However the northern states have little to worry about, since the worms can't live under 68 degrees there is little chance of a problem occuring there, however florida in particluar could have some SERIOUS problems, since these breed in mangroves (florida has plenty) and florida does'nt really get cold enough to kill them off, there is a great likely-hood of these gaining a foot-hold there. Like I said, bad idea, really bad idea.

  4. They don't carry cholera! by ngtni · · Score: 4, Informative

    From the WP article...

    > Early imports were packed in material found to
    > contain the pathogen that causes cholera,
    > though no cases resulted.

    It was the packaging, not the worms, that were the problem. I just thought I'd clear that up for anyone who didn't read the full WP article. :)

  5. If we are going to go ballistic... by tlambert · · Score: 5, Funny

    If we are going to go ballistic over non-native species, then we should start by wiping out all the pigeons in North and South America, please.

    -- Terry

  6. VERY Bad idea by squaretorus · · Score: 5, Funny

    That sounds like exactly what I was saying when the first Starbucks arrived in Scotland. Everyone thought that it was pretty cool that a coffee could come in so many different ways - and that biscuits had italian sounding names!

    But pretty soon they had ousted most of the indiginous coffee places, and even quite a few other minority species like good record shops, and cheap wineries.

    Now all you see for miles around is shops with silver chairs and tables out the front and streets littered with empty 4 gallon coffee cups.

    I drive over the cups whenever I see them, which I take to be their eggs or young. And I refuse to give them the money they need to survive. Some day I am sure they will suffocate us. There are no food shops within a mile of my home now, but there are 4 starbucks. My how things change...

  7. No picture? by JPriest · · Score: 3, Funny

    How do you have a story about a nearly fluorescent 5-7 foot worm and not include a picture? Maybe it should also be A.K.A. vapoworm(tm)

    --
    Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  8. Some research... by powerlinekid · · Score: 5, Informative

    When I first saw this I thought "yeah, ok", but after some googling it appears that they are actually real and not some washington post made up crap. This link
    Maryland Marine Notes which discusses concerns for Chesapeake bay mentions how the Department of Natural Resources classifies the "nuclear worm" on their list of no known problems but potentially dangerous creatures.This one is by the US Wildlife field service:
    more info I've been trying to find a photo but everyone has the same info... basically wildlife angencies are trying to figure out what the hell it is and how dangerous it is... fisherman use it as bait, and the press hypes up the "nuclear" part of it by saying it was created by agent orange and napalm. The actual name nuclear worm was made up by a bait salesman on chesapeake bay because it sounded good. *rolls eyes*

    --

    can't sleep slashdot will eat me
    1. Re:Some research... by DTC · · Score: 3, Informative

      Here's a picture, but the image isn't very large.

    2. Re:Some research... by Vulture_ · · Score: 3, Informative
      fisherman use it as bait, and the press hypes up the "nuclear" part of it by saying it was created by agent orange and napalm.
      That's so far from what was actually said in the article that it's not even funny. I'll blockquote what was really said:
      It's the Nuclear Worm (genus Namalycastis), Vietnam's biological revenge for all that napalm and Agent Orange 30 years ago.
      This is not saying that the worm was created by napalm or Agent Orange. Read it a little more carefully.
      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

  9. Eek by ChrisJones · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is this the start of a Goa'uld like species? Are we all going to be enslaved by snakeheads thanks to the US government tipping thousands of tons of exotic chemicals on the world?! ;)

    --
    Chris "Ng" Jones
    cmsj@tenshu.net
    www.tenshu.net
  10. good god. by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 3, Funny

    The H1-B program really IS getting out of hand.