On building a worm detector

Researchers know relatively little about earthworm movements and behavior in soil despite their critical importance to soil health, representing a significant gap in agricultural research. The author highlights that only two studies from the 1980s-90s have attempted to map individual worm movements, and both measured only above-ground activity, suggesting modern technology could enable new methods to visualize worm communities at the paddock scale. Developing a "worm detector" capable of mapping multiple worm species and their movements would provide valuable data for understanding soil ecosystem dynamics.