Ice Worms
Oil Exploration Technology

Recent developments in Texas oil prospecting include a number of hi-tech advancements: Intricate hi-resolution seismic profiles show where oil bearing strata may lie beneath the surface; satellite imagery displays characteristic landforms; and laboratory analysis of geochemical concentrates in fine muds indicate possible drill sites.

But believe it or not, all the hi-tech research methods have finally led to an amazing-- but very lo-tech-- solution for oil prospecting! Charles Fisher, from Pennsylvania State University, and Ian McDonald, a geochemist from Texas A&M University, have found the newest method for locating possible oil deposits in the Gulf of Mexico: worms.