Nematodes and humans diverged 500 million years ago, so it's especially intriguing that cannabinoids make us both hungry.
worms will eat more than usual when exposed to the endocannabinoid anandamide, and that they’ll gravitate toward the foods they have a preference for. Other experiments showed that this behavioral change was directly tied to the presence of the worms’ cannabinoid receptors and that the cannabinoid primarily affects their olfactory neurons. They also bred worms that had their cannabinoid receptors replaced with those found in humans, and they still responded like before.
The findings have some implications for understanding evolution. They suggest that the neurological wiring underlying this hunger effect arose long before humans orwere around. Many researchers believe that the endocannabinoid system evolved in part to help animals survive extreme conditions, Lockery notes.
“In addition to indulging our scientific curiosity, we felt that a positive result would be both amusing and thought provoking for the general public. Science that first makes you laugh, then makes you think,” he said.
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