Worm Wars! Invasive species and the stories we tell about them

When Nora Saks learned that a "toxic, self-cloning worm that poops out of its mouth was invading Maine", she started sounding the alarm about the impending eco-doom. Until, that is, state experts clued her into the "real threat"; a different creepy crawly wriggling towards The Pine Tree State's gardens and precious forests, and fast. In an attempt to find out more about this real threat, Ben Brock Johnson and Nora tunnel down a wormhole, encountering a long history of xenophobic rhetoric about so-called invasive species, and some hard truths about the field of invasion biology itself. This week we’re featuring a story from our friend at WBUR’s Endless Thread, a podcast that digs into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL. Featuring: Banu Subramaniam, Dov Sax, Bob McNally, Gary Fish, and Regina Smith SUPPORT Donate to support the show before February 22nd and get your hands on a limited edition Outside/In opossum camp mug! Subscribe to our FREE newsletter. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKS Endless Thread (WBUR) "A toxic, self-cloning worm that poops out of its mouth is invading Maine" (Bangor Daily News) Reddit post on r/oddlyterrifying about hammerhead worms lindsaynikole's viral TikTok video on hammerhead worms "The Aliens Have Landed! Reflections on the Rhetoric of Biological Invasions", Banu Subramaniam The Sax Research Lab at Brown University Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry fact sheet on jumping worms "Identify and Report Jumping Worms in Maine", UMaine Cooperative Forestry Research Unit informational video Cornell University fact sheet on Asian Jumping Worms UMass Extension Invasive Jumping Worm FAQ "Cancel Earthworms" (The Atlantic) "Invasive 'Jumping Worms' Threaten Trees in Maine and Elsewhere" (NECN) "Scientists Sound The Alarm About Invasive 'Crazy Worms' Found in Maine" (Maine Public) "Maine Gardener: Invasion of the jumping worms" (Portland Press Herald) CREDITS This episode was produced by Nora Saks and Dean Russell of WBUR’s Endless Thread Co-hosts: Nora Saks and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design: Matt Reed Endless Thread’s team includes Amory Sivertson, Dean Russell, Quincy Walters, Grace Tatter, Amy Gorel, Paul Vaitkus, and Emily Jankowski Outside/In is hosted by Nate Hegyi, and produced by Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices