- [Coyote] So to earn my white coat, I must eat...
- [Guest] One of these wax worms.
- Peep, peep, peep! Peep, peep, peep!
- Peep! Peep!
- [Coyote] Like a robin! I can't hear you!
(safari adventure music)
- Whoo! The elevator almost ate me.
It's been a while since I've been in college.
Today, we're at The University of Arizona.
And we're going to be getting up close with some nematodes,
but first, we need to find Dr. Stock, in Room 720.
Follow me, guys.
- [Mark] So just, walk into the first open lab
you see, is kind of the play here.
- We're definitely in the right spot.
You got biology and worms up there on the tack board.
Ah! There it is. Room 720.
- What's up guys?
- Who let this guy in?
- [Mark] I was gonna say, "Who let Mario in?"
- Guys, I am a trained scientist.
- All right here, let's see what you've been doing.
What have you been up to?
- Who let you in here without any permission?
- What have you been up to in here?
- You weren't touching anything, were you?
- No, don't touch that!
- Oh, sorry.
- I'm conducting a few experiments, of my own. Yeah.
- We're looking for Dr. Stock. Have you seen her?
- [Mark] I don't know. Maybe, around that corner?
- Oh, Dr. Stock! Paging Dr. Stock.
Coyote's here.
- What is all this noise?
- There you are!
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, too.
You look very official with the lab coat,
and some, I'm assuming, some important papers of some sort.
- Oh, just looking at the things that I need to pay for,
bills of lab equipment and supplies.
- Kind of important, I guess.
So, as I understand it, we're going to be getting
up close with nematodes today.
- That's right and, does people know what nematodes are?
- Yeah, they're like a little amphibian.
About, about little warts, real cute,
little buggy eyes, right, and they eep, got that tongue?
- [Mark] What? No toads?
- Nematodes are roundworms.
- Ugh! Roundworms? Like a parasite?
- Like a parasite. Yup.
- [Mark] I signed up for toads.
- I heard toads, and I was like, "I love toads."
- Have no fear, because the ones that you are going to
see in my lab are actually not that gross looking.
I actually find them very cute, interesting.
- I'll be the judge of that.
Get my arm up in there. Oh, now I feel official!
How do I look guys?
- [Mark] You actually look more intelligent,
believe it or not.
- Yes, I have intelligent things to say.
It's a very astute day for Coyote Peterson,
because we're going to be learning about nematodes,
which are not amphibians at all,
but are actually a parasite.
I thought they were just cute little amphibians.
Okay! Let's get into this.
Well, what are we doing today?
- Well you are going to get that actually,
bugs get sick too, and one of the diseases that bugs...
- Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait.
Did you say bugs get sick, too?
As in insects can get sick?
- Yes, so that's my profession. I am a bug doctor.
- We'll this is pretty cool.
Now, this is one of the first episodes
we've ever filmed in a situation like this,
where we're in a lab.
We're working with microscopes.
And I see you've got all these little
test beakers and pipettes out here.
So, let's kind of follow what it is that you do,
and we're gonna learn something cool today.
- [Mark] Turn it over to Dr. Stock.
Why don't you tell us about what we're looking at here.
- Well, yeah. So, as I mentioned before,
I work with insect diseases with nematodes
and the nematodes that I study are actually
very tiny little creatures.
So this flask that has water, and if you can see
the flakes that are shaking inside, those are the nematodes.
- Those are nematodes?
- Yes. Those are insect parasitic nematodes.
- I see they kind of do look like little squiggly lines.
To me, this just looks like bad tap water.
- Yeah, yeah. And you shouldn't drink it actually.
- Oh, I was gonna say, "Can I taste it? Bad idea?"
- Well, I wouldn't recommend that.
- Okay. If the doctor says don't drink it, don't drink it.
- I can show you actually other kinds of nematodes.
- Oh, there's different kinds of nematodes.
Wow! So that...that's a nematode.
- Yeah, and you know where it came from?
- A poop?
- Well, it came from a lake in Wisconsin,
and actually, that's a nematode that was
parasitizing an immature stasis of a dragonfly.
- Wow, that came out of a dragonfly?
Now how did you extract it from the dragonfly?
- It came out on it's own.
- That's crazy looking. Can you actually
even see that on your camera?
So, that's nothing for us as humans to be afraid of,
but if you are a dragonfly larva,
that's like your worst nightmare. Okay. All right.
- [Mark] Well, hey. I noticed there's some plants down here.
Are you working with some plant research?
- Yes, well actually, it's all connected.
So, we are studying nematodes that parasitize
insects that are pests doing more than
crops and we...
- Okay. Oh! Is that a big caterpillar?
- Yeah. That's a big caterpillar.
- Wow!
- I'll get it out for you.
- [Mark] Oh, wow. It is a big caterpillar. That's beautiful.
- [Coyote] What kind of caterpillar is that?
It doesn't bite does it?
- No, it's a Tobacco Hornworm.
- So this is a pest insect, despite that fact
that it's really beautiful.
- Yes, they are very voracious.
They could feed on this plant, if we,
if I put that caterpillar on this plant,
tomorrow morning, I have no leaves.
- Really?
Got it!
- Yup. That's good.
So, where does everything start?
Right? In my research?
- In a tummy?
- No. In the soil.
- Oh, in the soil! Doesn't all life
come from the belly of something?
- Actually, I have to say that,
thanks to these worms, I've traveled around the world.
And I've been all over the world sampling...
- What? For worms?
- For these nematodes.
- Wow! Those worms are gross looking.
What are those? Maggots?
- No actually, this is our guinea pig.
And also, I use them as baits to get the
nematodes that are living in the soil.
- That's nematode bait?
- Yeah. So, when I go to the field and collect
dirt samples, I bring them to the lab,
then I put them in containers like this.
I put all these waxworms, which actually are
a pest problem in beehives,
because if they get into the beehives,
they will feed on all the wax in the comb of the hive,
and it will destroy the comb.
- So that's where they get the name, "Waxworm?"
- Yeah, yeah.
- Makes sense.
- So, what I do, I leave this dirt sitting
in another room that I have in my lab,
for a week, and after that, the magic happens.
So, what I get is all these infected caterpillars.
- Those are dead? Woah! Ugh!
- [Mark] What happened?
- Don't! Just don't! That stinks!
- [Mark] Oh! I smell it! It just hit me!
Keep 'em back! I've got a zoom lens.
- Oh my gosh! That is putrid!
I almost threw up my burrito
into your little nematode waxworm pile there.
- In spite of that smell, actually,
there's no putrefaction here because actually
the nematodes that we study,
have inside their tummies, bacteria,
and this is the bacteria that comes out from the nematodes.
- So is that some valuable research,
right there, in that container?
- Yes, because actually, the nematodes,
what they do, they vector the bacteria,
who are actually the true insect killers.
So, the bacteria is the one that kills the insects,
- And the bacteria is coming from the nematode?
- Yes.
- Okay. So, the nematode is the distributor
of the bacteria that ends up in the waxworm.
- Yes, exactly.
- I'm learning here.
- And I hope you can capture this with a camera.
So, you have your dead insects there.
- Let me plug my nose and get down there real close.
- [Mark] Oh, yeah. I see something.
- [Coyote] Oh my gosh! That's like a deflating wax worm.
- [Dr. Stock] Those are the worms coming out.
- [Mark] Why don't we take a look under the microscope?
Because I think everyone would really
like to see these worms in action.
- Oh, yeah! So, so we can put these under the microscope,
and get an up close look at these little wigglers.
- We can go to my other lab where we have
the microscopes. The microscope!
- Dr. Stock, I'm light-headed here.
All those funky smells. Whoo!
- So, I have the worms here, actually ready for you.
- So, what's gonna happen is, I'm gonna look
inside these little eye sockets,
and the other camera is gonna point at the screen,
so you guys can see what it is that I am seeing.
Are you ready?
- [Mark] Yup.
- Here we go. Get that shot on screen there, Mario.
Oh, boy.
That is one squiggly worm party!
Are you serious? So, this is what's going on
inside of those waxworms?
- Yes, exactly.
- And how many of these are inside
a waxworm at any given time?
- [Dr. Stock] Hundreds of thousands.
- Hundreds of thousands?
- [Mark] Hundreds of thousands?
- [Dr. Stock] Hundreds of thousands.
- Wow. That is really cool.
Okay, so what I wanna do now, is I'm gonna
crouch down here, and we're gonna look at this
actually on the screen, so that I can talk to you guys
while we're looking at this.
Now, are we just seeing, we're just seeing the
silhouettes of them, right?
- Yeah, actually, these are the ones that are coming out
from the insects, and we call them, infected juveniles.
- Okay. So these are opportunistic predators
looking for a host, that they can then infect.
They'll grow inside. And then, how do they reproduce?
Do they reproduce inside of the waxworms?
- So, yes, they will reproduce in the waxworm
or any other insect that they think is suitable
for them, but actually,
the nematodes go into the insect blood,
and that sends a signal
to the nematodes to start opening their
mouths or anuses, and the bacteria start coming down.
And so, the bacteria are either defecated,
or regurgitated, and the bacteria
throw toxins that kill the insect, and the insect dies.
Now, when the insect dies, it's actually the
most important part, because now,
there's all that food supply for the
nematodes to start growing and multiplying.
- Wow! Well, that's pretty cool.
I wish I had a microscope like this.
So, what else can we take a look at?
You have any other worm species or parasites?
- Yeah, I can show you some human parasites
that I use for my class.
- Ooh! Human parasites!
Let's check that out.
All right, you lead the way!
- All right, back in the dirty lab,
and okay, somebody already placed them on the table.
I'm guessing, those are the human parasites.
- [Mark] Whatever gave it away?
- Yeah, well I wasn't actually even looking at that.
I was just looking at that... This is what
I always imagined would crawl out of my mouth if
I had a tapeworm, and I put the bowl of milk in front of me.
Are those tapeworms?
- No, actually these are nematodes.
- Those are also nematodes?
Giant, super-sized ones!
- Yeah, they're actually is called Ascaris Lumbricoides.
- Whoa, that's complex for something that just
straight-up can be labeled, "disgusting," in my opinion.
But you love these things, don't you?
- Oh, I do. I love this.
- This is fascinating to you?
How would you know as a human,
if you have one of these inside of your organs?
- You probably would have many of them in your stomach.
- No, no, no. Dr. Stock, there is no way
that I have any of these inside me.
- Yeah. And you would look almost, like,
pregnant with a big swollen belly.
- I work on my physique a little bit.
Do you think that I might have some of those
inside of me, though?
- Oh, no. I don't think so.
- No. Whoo! In the clear.
So, Dr. Stock, there is a rhyme and a reason
behind all the science, and all the work
you're doing with these incredibly fascinating nematodes.
Can you sum that up for us? Real quick.
- Yeah. So, actually early, as I mentioned
in the very beginning, we are trying
to develop alternatives to pest management.
- So, how does a nematode then,
help you control the pest population?
- Well, nematodes actually are important insect parasites.
If they are mass-produced and formulated,
they can be used to our advantage.
- Okay, so basically then, the nematodes
can help control populations of pest insects
like these caterpillars, that are just decimating crops.
And in a sense, they're becoming the
pest control of the future.
- Exactly. And actually, even further,
they are safe to the environment and to us.
- That is so cool. Well, this is definitely
one of the most complex and scientific episodes
I think we have ever filmed.
I learned so much today about nematodes.
Dr. Stock, thank you so much for having us into the lab.
- My pleasure. It's been wonderful.
- Whew! That was crazy.
- [Mark] Come one. We're not done yet.
- What do you mean, we're not done?
I was gonna give an outro.
- [Mark] You didn't have your snack.
And you know, the title of this video, "Eating a Parasite."
- Oh, gosh. I was kinda hoping
you guys would forget about that!
- I don't think you can leave this lab...
- No, no, but I can say, wait a minute,
you can't leave. I have a present for you.
- What's the present?
- The waxworm.
- [Mark] Oh, which is a parasite. So...
- Well, a parasite host.
- Hey, if it's between eating one of these,
or a waxworm, I don't know man.
I think I'd go for the waxworm.
- Give me the waxworm. All right.
- I would say so. Actually, every lab member,
to become a lab member, needs to have one waxworm.
- So, to earn my white coat, I must eat...
- One of these waxworms.
A great source of protein.
- And I'm just gonna dump this whole thing
of waxworms in my mouth and chew it up?
- Oh, no. I can pick one for you.
- Oh, just one?
- Just one little snacky.
- That's a lot better.
- That's all I ask, only one caterpillar.
- Oh, you had to pick the big squisher!
- You can become the official lab member.
So, instead of chopsticks, with these forceps.
- Now, how do I know there's no nematodes in there?
- I can guarantee that.
- I'm trusting you here.
Wait, I don't know, guys, I might puke on this.
You know it happens.
- Will this help?
- Oh, yeah, that'll do it.
That's 2000 milliliters.
That's probably what I got in me right now.
All right, I'm gonna hand this little one back to you.
- And I can give you that one.
- [Mark] Oh! Doctors have to feed you.
- Yeah, yeah. I can help.
- [Mark] Like a little baby bird.
- Just to make sure.
- [Mark] Can you make a little squawking sound?
Like you're hungry?
- Ugh. Okay.
- Peep, peep, peep! Peep, peep, peep!
- Ugh!
- [Mark] What's it taste like?
- Ugh, like a bad bean.
- [Mark] A bad bean?
- Ugh!
I'm holding it...
- I'll give you some help.
- I swallowed it!
- [Mark] You did it?
- I swallowed it.
- [Mark] You did it.
- I swallowed it, and I didn't puke.
Oh my gosh! You guys wanna try?
You wanna join the club?
Come on, man.
- This might get me to puke.
- I don't think so.
- We have the bucket, we have the worms.
- If it didn't make me puke, it's not gonna make you puke.
- This is called, "When the tables have turned."
- Yeah, well look at me! I'm doing just fine.
I ate the big one, too. Big squisher!
- And he's all energized.
- Yeah. Actually, I feel really good about myself.
This is the first time I've never puked
from eating something.
- I'm impressed.
- I've puked from eating fruit.
These are worms!
- That's definitely the grossest thing
I've ever seen you eat.
- [Mario] That's pretty impressive.
- [Coyote] That one's not big enough.
Get him that big one in the corner. Ooh, yeah!
- What did I do to this guy?
- That's Chunky Charlie! Yeah.
All right. Now, make those bird noises, Mark.
- [Mario] Yeah, come on, Mark.
- [Coyote] Tweet, tweet! Come on, little baby bird.
- Peep, peep.
- Like a robin, I can't hear you!
No, no, no! No, no. Chew it.
- I had to swallow real quick.
It made my eyes water.
- Did you even chew it?
- It popped. It went, "Plew!"
- The popping is the worst part.
You expect there to be a real pungent taste,
but there isn't.
It actually tastes like a bean.
- Okay. Give me my lab coat.
- That's the first time I've ever eaten a bug.
- Oh, man. That was...
- I wish I could say that no bugs were
injured in the making of this video,
but unfortunately a couple of them have been eaten.
All right, Mario!
I don't think you're gonna escape this one, buddy.
- I ate a big lunch and breakfast.
- You know you can always top off a burrito
with a little waxworm, buddy.
It's the new dessert.
- Where's your lab coat, Mario?
(Dr. Stock laughs)
- [Coyote] And, you know the drill, buddy.
You've seen us both do it.
We're gonna need some good bird noises.
What bird species would you like to be?
- A cuckoo.
- Okay! Let's hear what a baby cuckoo sounds like,
'cause it's dinner time!
Mama bird has come back with a
fresh pile of waxworms.
- I'll do my little wings?
- Yeah, that's cool.
Well, I can't hear the sounds. Coo, coo, coo!
- Ew! Ew, it popped.
- It's the food of the future.
- Well, I'm in the present right now.
And in the present, I had a burrito, but...nah.
You know what? It wasn't that bad.
It wasn't that bad.
- Somebody get this man a lab coat!
- Oh my gosh. I'm in trouble.
Do I have enough lab coats?
- Well, I sure hope so.
- Well, let's see. I'll give you my lab coat.
- Ey! What a good Mama Bird!
All right. Good job, guys!
- Look at that.
- High fives up here.
We have all successfully eaten waxworms.
Now, my stomach feels really funky,
so, I'm go ahead and cut this camera,
and place it over here.
Wow! I am incredibly proud of us, guys.
We have all eaten waxworms,
and we are now all officially doctors.
Dr. Laivins, Dr. Aldecoa.
- Wait. We're doctors?
- Yeah. That's what the lab coat means.
- I don't think that's how it works.
- Oh, no. I'm definitely putting, "Dr. Coyote Peterson,"
in front of everything now.
Dr. Stock, thank you so much for having us
into the lab today.
This was enlightening.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave. Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next location.
(whimsical music)
Hey, Coyote Pack!
I've got some great news.
We're doing two live shows in Australia:
one in Melbourne, and one in Sydney.
The tickets are on sale now.
And for everyone in the United States:
get excited, because a West Coast Tour
is coming in early 2018.
And don't forget, subscribe,
so you can join me and the crew
on our next big adventure.
I'm Coyote Peterson. Be Brave!
(audience cheers)