Scientists test pet-store superworms on animal specimens

Superworms, the larvae of Zophobas morio, can clean animal skeletons for museums without harsh chemicals or bone damage.

Researchers at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad tested pet-store superworms on animal specimens and found they effectively strip flesh from bones.

Superworms overcome drawbacks of traditional methods like chemical treatments (which damage bones), boiling (which risks breakage), and dermestid beetles (which threaten museum collections if they escape).

The study was published in PLOS One by researchers including Niloofar Alaei Kakhki, now at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart.