New imaging method enables pollution monitoring through precise detection of gold nanoparticles in woodlice

The woodlouse goes by many names: roly-poly, pill bug, potato bug, tomato bug, butchy boy, cheesy bob and chiggy pig, to name just a few. It is best known for contracting into a ball when agitated. This crustacean (yes, it's a crustacean, not an insect) thrives in heavily metal-contaminated areas due to its specialized digestive organ, called a hepatopancreas, that stores and expels unwanted metals.