The ''Worm Runner's Digest'' (''W.R.D.'') was created in 1959 by biologist James V. McConnell after his experiments with

memory transfer Memory transfer was a biological process proposed by James V. McConnell and others in the 1960s. Memory transfer proposes a chemical basis for memory termed memory RNA which can be passed down through flesh instead of an intact nervous system. Si ...

planarian Planarians (triclads) are free-living flatworms of the class Turbellaria, order Tricladida, which includes hundreds of species, found in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats.pp 3., "Planarians (the popular name for the group as a whole ...

worms generated a torrent of mail enquiries. The ''W.R.D.'' published both satirical articles, such as "A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown", and scientific papers, the most famous of which, "Memory transfer through cannibalism in planarians", was a result of McConnell's

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins (messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyrib ...

memory transfer experiments with planarian worms and was later published in the '' Journal of Neuropsychiatry''. The title for the W.R.D., McConnell explained, was an extension of the

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

jargon that terms psychologists who work with rats "rat runners" and those who work with insects "bug runners." After complaints that the satirical articles and the scientific publications were not distinguishable, the satirical articles were printed upside down in the back half of the ''W.R.D.'' along with a topsy turvy back cover. In 1966, the title was changed to the '' Journal of Biological Psychology'' in an effort to make the publication more acceptable to the scientific community. The magazine ceased publication in 1979. Articles from the ''Worm Runner's Digest'' have been compiled and printed in a number of

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

, including ''Science, Sex, and Sacred Cows'' and ''The Worm Re-Turns''.

References

{{Reflist Satirical magazines published in the United States Zoology journals Defunct animal and pet magazines Defunct English-language magazines Magazines established in 1959 Magazines disestablished in 1979 Defunct magazines published in the United States 1959 establishments in the United States 1979 disestablishments in the United States

See also

References