Re: Hello, I was wondering what planaria has to do with the human and the world

Hi Wendy,

To be honest, I'm not very familiar with the idea you are talking about.  I 
remember hearing about it in the movie "Phantoms", but I don't think horror 
movies accurately portray scientific concepts.

But, flatworms do have a major impact on humans.  Flukes and tapeworms, 
which are in the same phylum as planaria, are internal parasites.  They 
typically live in the digestive tracts of humans and other mammals and can 
make them very sick.  It is not uncommon for a tape worm to infest a cow or 
pig which is eaten by a human.  If the meat is not cooked properly, then the 
human is infested with the tapeworm.

Because these worms have a tough cuticle that protects them from harmful 
environments, they can be quite difficult to kill without killing the host.  
Usually, there is no cure for these parasites.