The Insane Biology of: The Dune Sandworm 

i genuinely love the idea that nerds across generations and science have written freaking papers on a fictional animal and planet. "just because it isn't real, does not mean it can't be fascinating!"

Another fun fact about the sandworms. Inside the Dune universe, they are the ONLY confirmed non-terrestrial life. Everything else was seeded from Earth originally, but the Sand Trout were brought to Arrakis from... somewhere undefined, and show no trace of terrestrial origin.

my marine biology teacher told me a funny story about how he had students that were doing a report on marine sandworms but all their sources were mistakenly referenced to Dune wiki forums. My teacher had to stop the presentation once he realized what was going on

Im honestly way more interested in the worldbuilding of Dune than the actual story. The giant sand worms, the way spice is formed and harvested, the way the Fremen have adapted to the harsh desert climate of Arrakis. I find all of that so fascinating.

speculative biology. love it.

7:52 sand is a good insulator, it's cooler below the surface.

Regarding the sand worm's heat exchange, I'm reading the third book right now and it's stated that the tail end of the sand worm is blisteringly hot so you have to avoid it when you're getting off a sand worm. That's probably how they shed their excess heat, in addition to being much more heat tolerant in general.

Absolutely love this!! Just saw Dune for the first time and I immediately fell in love with the sandworms, absolutely fascinated with how they might work. This video is such a fun exploration of that concept!

My head canon was that they were silicon based life forms and that's why they worked so well breaking down and metabolizing the sand, minerals and metals at every stage of their lives. As sand plankton, they filter feed with a symbiotic colony of bacteria that they host. The bacteria feed on yeast that grows wild on the grains of sand and other substrates that the sand plankton consume. Since labs have been able to synthesize psilocybin from bacteria that feed on yeast, I theorize that a similar process is what gives the melange it's psychoactive properties. This digestive process also provides the O2 and other gasses that make up the planet's atmosphere. The sand plankton would reproduce asexually with budding polyps so there's always a growing and thriving population for the base of the food chain. Their imperative at this stage would just be to eat and reproduce. They would be able survive in dry and wet conditions. In God Emperor of Dune, when a sand worm falls into a river, it breaks down completely into sand plankton and is able to survive so a new cycle of worms can be started. When conditions are right, perhaps when the sand plankton have built up enough nutrients, they instinctively come together into sand trout. The sand trout can still break down and metabolize particulates from the sand or other substrates, and they feed on the plankton to maintain their stores of the bacteria and yeast and to absorb supplemental nutrients from them. While there is a certain level of moisture in the environment, sand trout is the highest form they will take. Their imperative is to eat and sequester water so they can band together and morph into their final forms. When enough water has been sequestered, the sand trout instinctively band together into the sand worms and form Little Makers that grow into Shai-Hulud. The sand worms are always churning away like any good detritivore, only instead of plant materials, they break down silicates, other minerals and metals. If they have any bone like structures besides their teeth, these are the what they are made of. This is why their teeth make such great Crysknives. They are described as being ivory like, as hard as steel and gleaming like a crystal almost lit from within. They also feed on the sand plankton and sand trout to supplement their nutrition and help produce their spice essences which would work similarly to plasma. The friction from their locomotion ignites the particulates which aids in their break down and fuels their internal furnace that in turn expells gasses like O2 and H20 back into the atmosphere. The sand retains most of the H20 which is further sequestered by the sand trout. Sand worms may reproduce with a combination of broadcast spawning and budding, which may be another way for them to spread the desert. They would leave a budding segment as close to the moisture as they can get. These buds can normally survive on their own and become another Little Makers then Shai-Hulud, but if the environment it too moist, they'd 'die' and break back down into sand plankton. Then the cycle would start all over and thus spread the desert. Alternatively, two or more sand worms could leave their buds in the same space so there would be a chance for sharing DNA when the sand plankton eventually reform into sand trout. Thank you for coming to my Dune Talk!

If oxygen is a excretion of sandworms does that mean every time they breach the surface, theyre sticking their faces into an atmosphere/ocean of their own farts?

It's great to see more than a just a few frames of you on camera, You did very well! You pushed yourself to do something new and the results were fantastic!

You're doing great on cam. And it was quite fun to watch as an old Dune fan. Many years ago I saw a video somewhat like this speculating over a plausible biology for dragons. They addressed the need for more stomachs and a digestive system, almost like cows, to build up and hold methane, to "lighten" their total body weight making them able to fly (even with hollow bones the skeleton was to large a portion of the body to let them fly otherwise). They also used the methane to breathe fire in rival combats, which was often ended by one part not having enough methane left to both fight and fly. To actually be able to make the fire, they also suggested that they'd have to have minerals as a part of their diet (apart from ofc grass for making the methane). This could potentially mean, that through their diet, they also get a catalyst mineral to spark the fire when they breathe out the methane (in high pressure ofc to avoid a blow back). All in all a very funny and interesting way of making a fantasy creature plausible.

I had to do a double take when I realize you were on camera. Congrats for putting yourself out there. I think it's a great addition to your format.

The sandworm were said to have furnace like insides, similar to a combustion engine. They had an extremely strong aversion to water. That's the most dramatic feature for me aside from spice creation. They're like organic 'fire hoses'.

It was nice seeing you talk about this topic, I quite like this interview style format

You’re great on camera, I know that may not help the nerves but you’ve got what it takes!!! Thanks for stretching through the tough stuff and being an awesome example

I for one am really glad you put yourself on film for this. It's good to put a face to the voice.

I love this channel so much! Thank you, it’s my fav!

I'd love more episodes like this, it's just so fascinating thinking of this stuff!

All hail the silicon-based caffeine worm! One question I’d still like answered is how they would move so fast through sand. Sand is extremely heavy and doesn’t exactly move like a liquid but they seem to make it do so with the harmonic vibration they emit. Are there any examples of organisms on Earth that do something similar?

7:26 ceramics? Several 'problems' would all go away at once as ceramics also cope well with heat & can be abrasion resistant.

Well done. I love your biology deep dives and speculating about what is possible helps us consider what biology can achieve in the real world

Did Frank Herbert ever say how much gravity was on Dune? If Dune has less gravity, then the worms would be better able to handle their own mass. But then you'd have to explain why humans walk similar to earth-bound humans; maybe you could say that the Harkkonens and Atraiedes homeworlds also have less gravity, so people have adapted to that level of gravity

On the subject of heat dissipation on Arakkis, I think this is one of the examples of a system that we may not be able turn to earthly analogs to explain, since the environment is so different. While life on earth can give us a lot of hints about what extraterrestrial life might be like, it is quite likely that extraterrestrial life will contain unique adaptations to their own environments completely unlike what we would find on earth, and in these situations, I think that considering what sorts of mechanisms could solve *their* problem, rather than looking at earth life, might be more fruitful. Earth is kind of a cool planet, overall. There are a lot more places where getting up to an optimal body temperature is a challenge than where getting rid of heat is the primary problem, and in the places on earth where heat dissipation is the main thermoregulation challenge to deal with, the temperatures being accomodated are nothing compared to the hottest times and places on Arakkis. Living on a relatively cool planet, species on earth have developed various mechanisms to produce heat internally, resulting in the various flavors of "warm blooded" that exist across species on this planet, often combined with heat dissipation mechanisms like sweating to get rid of extra heat produced by the metabolism. On Arakkis, these sorts of mechanisms would never evolve. Nothing freezes to death on Arakkis. The primary thermoregulation challenge is heat dissipation, so why not develop internal metabolic heat dissipation mechanisms like the mechanisms of homeothermy on earth, rather than relying on our relatively inefficient evaporative cooling mechanisms? I considered this during a speculative biology project many years ago, and the solution I came up with wasn't based on biology, but engineering. I looked at how air conditioners work for inspiration. Nitrogenous waste is something all species have to deal with, and we deal with it just by expelling it, but ammonia is a fantastic chemical for absorbing heat. Imagine that instead of the bladder being just a bag that held urine until you could expel it, it contained enzymes that could convert the urea back into ammonia and then pump it into a rigid, blood vessel rich structure where it could expand, absorbing large amounts of heat before being expelled as gaseous waste. The result would be the equivilant of having an old ammonia AC unit inside your body. Perhaps life forms on Arrakis would be separated into "hot blooded", only able to dissipate heat passively and lacking metabolic cooling mechanisms, and "cool blooded", able to dissipate heat chemically using energy derived from the metabolism, rather than "cold blooded" and "warm blooded" as they are here on earth. Sweating may be the Arakkis equivalent of needing to bask to get warm.

When I was a kid I found a copy of dune at a market stall. I wish I still had that copy. I've been hooked ever since.

While this was about as far from "real science" as one could possibly get, as a Dune fan, I still found it to be incredibly intriguing. Thanks for sharing, as usual, RS! Keep up the great work!

Oooo this is my fav episode so far. You did great on camera! Always enjoy your content and recommend it.

Beautiful narrating skills, your tone keeps me intrigued. Great science videos!

You are officially the coolest scientist ever. This was so fun. I had no idea the writer of Dune went into such detail about these.

I'd never had guessed Real Science and Dune cross paths but how wonderful!! You're like my favorite scientist

You are a terrific and engaging communicator. Great Stuff!

Never underestimate the value of "science fiction" science. By imagining possibilities, we open the door to opportunities. Lovely to see you, and not just hear you. ❤❤😊😊👋🏼👋🏼

The courage required to expand on the scope of your channel is admirable. Content is top notch, as per usual!

But hey, that's just a theory A FILM THEORY

This episode is amazing. Thank you for sharing!! I will be tuning in for every episode you share lol 🫶🏾✨

That was great! I always like your voice and it's cool to connect a face to it. Congrats on coming on camera.

Not what I was expecting from this channel but still amazingly informative and interesting! Keep up the amazing content

Just an awesome review of Sandworms after I just seen the new Dune. Thank you for connecting a face to the voice I have listened to so long. Keep up the great work. Big fan as always

She makes it sound so genuine i love it. This channel is great

I’ve been watching this channel for a long while now and this is the first time I’ve seen the lady of the voice. Trippin me out! You’re on of my favorite narrators of all time. Do any audio books?

You were quite good in front of the Camera ! Continue what you are doing ! This is undoubtedly the best biology channel on RU-vid !

I didn't know the voice has a body. I'm scared! Great video!!!

Great job on your production! This must've consumed loads of time and attention - well done. As RE: the biomechanical construction and overall propagation of the sandworms, given that they are indeed fictional, one's imagination can run joyfully and completely wild!!! I've also read the Tolkien and C.S. Lewis epic fiction tales as well (not sure if i've read them all) and the initial Dune trilogy is equally amazing.

Great job being on camera! I didn't actually realize until it was said. I just assumed it was an occasional occurrence in uploads I haven't seen yet.

Loved this video, and also loved the nebula show. Still greatful every day I use it that there seems to be enough of a market to sustain a platform like nebula and its content. P.S. Your eyebrow movement seemed regular to me :D

You did great in camera!

I like your style, please keep it going

It's nice to see the face behind the voice. I love all your videos, there's no wonder why you got so many subscribers so fast. Congratulations on your success.

Great work stepping out of your comfort zone. You did a really good job and you will only get more comfortable over time. I don't think the two camera setup is adding anything here though. If a second camera angle serves a narrative or functional purpose I'm all for it but on RU-vid the presenter is ostensibly speaking to "me" the individual viewer. Seeing the person speaking to me directly and then switching to see that person still speaking to me but from the position of an outside observer is very strange and takes me out of the video every time. 2 camera setups were used originally as a way of covering edits but then became shorthand for high budget network broadcasts who could afford multiple cameras that each cost many tens of thousands of dollars. Anyway it's a little anachronistic and it really wasn't working. Love the Dune content and looking forward to more wonderful informative videos.

I watched Dune 2 yesterday and loved it. Had all sorts of questions about the Worms, and you did a great job answering them Next, where did all those people get their food from? I didn’t see a Costco anywhere nearby

I remember almost falling asleep while reading the books, and now it's the like one of the most popular things right now. I love it.

drake vs largest sandworm:

I love Nebula and am so glad to hear it helps. (I also rewatch on RU-vid to hopefully help here as well.) This was great fun, and as a lifelong Dune fan, awesome to think about.

The 3/4 filming angle really doesn't work for this kind of expositional video. It's used to suggest a dialogue between interviewer and interviewee, so it looks kind of jarring when someone is explaining something to the audience but not looking towards them. In the frontal shots you were perfect and very natural tho!

Having seen some of your videos before where you stayed off-camera, I was pleasantly surprised when you showed your face, this time. I think you did a very good job on-camera and have nothing to worry about!

This video is absolutely brilliant, Stephanie! Great work!! 😊

Thank you for including sand plankton and sand trout. I hate that the movies leave out these crucial stages. The fact that the Fremen children will snack on the sand trout for liquid has always struck me.

There's another way to get rid of heat as we do in the refrigeration industry. Sandworms compress heat within itself and shifts the operation to Silicate based in the range of a thousand degrees. Another operation neglected is electrical welding and cutting, 3d construction, and friction resistance. The substance found in the chrisknife is foundational through out bone and skin structure of the sandworm. Spice would be electrical-neurological binding to all the nerves whether to the sheathe or integral to the nerve, functions as adding processing power attuned to the neurological electrical activity. Not carbon based, therefore indigestible.

I LOVE THIS VIDEO CONCEPT

fantastic. Very informative.

7:30 I read a long time ago that some of the biggest dinosaurs may have had hollow bones, just like birds, which provides great structural support and reduced weight, could be similar for the worms. Regarding the heat, a silicon-based life-form would be able to withstand much higher temperatures without any issue, and if needed to cool down, it could simply burrow deeper, where the sand is colder, and exchange its heat against the surrounding cold sand.

10:36, nice little Hemp seedling there hatching.

Thanks for the cut away, truly terrifying, kinda reminds of the sarlacc

Thank you for this amazing sci-fi content!! In addition to that, the biggest question I have about these sci-fi monsters: How do they manage to move with such an astonishing speed below the surface of the sand?

"fan base"the worst and the best thing that can happen to anything.....

Is it possible that their massive weight together with being tube-shaped (which minimizes surface area) actually make sand behave "more fluid" to the Arrakis sand worms compared to sand-burrowing earth life?

It’s really nice to put a face to your voice. Thank you for the really good videos that you do for us all. ❤️💕

Finally, nice to meet you!❤️

"How much is the normal human amount to move my eyebrows?" lmao ikr

I would absolutely love more biology videos fictional creature's this is awesomeness

Great video. Thanks!

Ah yes, Real Science, the channel I go for to learn about Sandworms of Dune. Still this was a fun video and you did a good job. Keep it up!

I wish there are animals that magnitude on earth to keep humans humble and keep their respect for nature.

The worms are silicon-based, including their bones. They get it from the sand. And the heat they produce is why Dune is so hot. They Dissipate the heat in to the sand.

Very nice. Just regarding the dry lightning - I thought that was a real missed opportunity by the filmmakers. What a dramatic and really cinematic way to introduce the worms.

Gosh, I love your channel

"Real Science"

The sandowrms were clearly inspired by Drake

You did an amazing talking on camera, other than the lovely concept, I urge you to uploading further🙌

I love the video, Great job.

I think you moved your eyebrows a perfectly normal amount

Bless the maker and their video!

Awesome video, would love more like it

You moved your eyebrows a perfectly natural amount. Well done!

Man I love videos like this that analyze fictional lifeforms it's always so fascinating.

I really enjoy the almost interview sort of format, with you on camera.

Thanks for the video, your face camera parts went just fine, you looked good!

Great vid and a nice job by the host.

Beautiful & intelligent. You have the whole world by the balls. You go girl!! Keep it coming!

Just the video I was looking for after watching the movie and reading the book!

Ty for this video.

This is really cool, I'd like to see more videos like this in the future. I know you can't devote all your time to fictional organisms, but Godzilla, the synthetically evolved/mutated creatures of Resident Evil, there's a lot of really interesting theoretical/sci-fi biology that could be covered in future videos when you want to try a change of pace.

it was a really fun video thanks.

Great content!

If one of those things took the energy to cut thru sand for a couple miles to eat 1 human, it would starve to death. Do that more than like 3 times (scurry after a human) and the caloric intake versus the energy output would result in the worms withering away.

Sci-fi documentary. Love it!

I also wondered about this in the movie. A gigantic worm in a planet which barely has life. What does it eat? How would it survive? Really nice video

@Real Science, nice job on first face to face interview. Could the channel do a future episode on the realistic prospects of human biological augmentation in light of advances in gene editing tools CRISPR Cas 9, iPs Stem Cells and epigenetics/ genetic enhancement? Understandably we are not likely to see UNSC Spartan or Space Marines in the coming decades but what realistically can we expect emerging biotechnologies do in regards to augmenting baseline human beings in the areas of enhancing human physiological performance, life extension and cognitive improvements ?

u did a great job btw ;)

This video truly brings to life the epic scale and danger of these mythical creatures.