This model is definitely excluding a lot of details. For instance, the cells are modeled on an abstract functional basis. There isn't any cellular division occuring and it's going to take a lot more work to ever get to that level.
For purely simulating behavior and understanding how the insides of the worm "function together", this model is a fantastic breakthrough.
I perhaps was being hyperbolic with my original description of the worm being a catch-all for any experimentation whatsoever, but you have to admit that it has vast implications.
(You also don't deserve the downvote you got. We always need somebody anchoring us to reality. )
Outside of the germline, C. elegans does not undergo cellular division in the adult stage. There is a fixed developmental pattern, with exactly 959 cells in the adult hermaphrodite. Also, the connectivity map of the entire nervous system is known.
I do believe that this is a permanent showstopper for modeling C. Elegans reproduction, correct?
I would be very curious to hear if there have been any plans to one day re-visit the model to allow reproduction, and if any thought has gone into how that process could be allowed!
For purely simulating behavior and understanding how the insides of the worm "function together", this model is a fantastic breakthrough.
I perhaps was being hyperbolic with my original description of the worm being a catch-all for any experimentation whatsoever, but you have to admit that it has vast implications.
(You also don't deserve the downvote you got. We always need somebody anchoring us to reality. )