A project to create a complete computer simulation of a nematode called Caenorhabditis elegans has taken a small step forward, releasing a model showing the operation of a group of the worm’s muscles.
The OpenWorm project has been working on its virtual nematode since December 2011, with the ambitious aim of modelling the entire organism in software. C. elegans is the organism of choice for the project, because it’s also closely studied in biology labs.
The latest result from the project is a simulation of five muscle groups moving in water.