'Superworms' help scientists with a vexing task: Cleaning animal specimens

Superworms, the larvae of Zophobas morio, are often used as animal feed. But researchers have discovered they also like to feed on animal corpses and can be used to clean specimens.

The larvae of a beetle native to South and Central America, the critters are the perfect solution to sticky problem: How to prepare an animal skeleton for scientific use.

(Image credit: MirekKijewski/iStockphoto)