The next superhero that saves the world may not be strong, powerful or good-looking. In fact, that hero may be a wriggling, squirming faceless creature. It may be a maggot! Maggots are the soft-bodied, not fully developed larvae of flies or other insects. Many people feel sick by simply hearing the word “maggot,” let alone seeing them. To them, the larvae are simply, in a word, gross. This “yuck factor” is not stopping scientists around the world. Many are studying how one of the planet’s grossest creatures could help humankind. Wired magazine reports that companies are using maggots to eat natural waste. Its story explains that after the maggots clean up waste, they may become useful as animal feed or even bio-fuel.

What does squirm mean?
use for fuel
provoke disgust
twist or fidget
long and thin
What might the creatures do?
allow for differences
help humankind
eat living tissue
find a cure
The hero may be a maggot.
maggot
larva
creature
insect