Slate: Are the sandworms of 'Dune' really worms?
UC snake expert sheds light on the locomotion of Frank Herbert's creepy desert monsters
Are the sandworms depicted in the science fiction blockbusters “Dune” and “Dune: Part II” really worms?
Slate spoke to a University of Cincinnati biologist to see if there are real biological analogies to the wormlike leviathans depicted in the Frank Herbert books and movies.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Bruce Jayne is an expert on snakes and the fascinating ways they move, swim and climb without benefit of limbs.
UC Professor Bruce Jayne says the sandworms of Dune are most like legless lizards that burrow in sand dunes. Photo/mlharing/Unsplash
Jayne said Dune's sandworms don't move like earthworms, which propel themselves forward using fluid-filled sacs that expand and contract in synchrony.
Instead, the sandworms move in a straight line like an enormous python in an undulating, rippling movement called rectilinear locomotion.
“The skeleton is basically sliding inside of the skin,” Jayne told Slate.
But this locomotion isn't known for speed.
Jayne said the sandworms of Dune are fast-moving burrowers in the sand, which is more like the movement found in a family of legless lizards. Like the fictional sandworms, some species of legless lizards burrow in sand dunes.
And like sandworms, the legless lizard can detect the vibrations of prey in the sand while hunting.
Jayne has studied snakes around the world. In 2021, he and his research colleagues discovered a form of snake movement new to science they called lasso locomotion.
Featured image at top: Sandworms rise from the desert to attack Harkonnen soldiers in the Warner Bros. movie Dune: Part II. Photo/Warner Bros.
UC Professor Bruce Jayne holds a vine snake in his biology lab. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC
Related Stories
‘Designer drug’ shows early neuroprotective signal in acute ischemic stroke
October 28, 2025
Medscape highlighted new trial results led by the University of Cincinnati's Eva Mistry that found an experimental drug shows promise in protecting injured brain cells for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Is menstrual fluid ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?
October 27, 2025
The Guardian recently reported that period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions — including endometriosis.
What is squalane, and how does it work to moisturize skin?
October 27, 2025
The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos was featured in a Women's Health article discussing squalane, an ingredient being increasingly used in moisturizing skincare products.