Our lab has discovered that when the nmrk-1 gene is mutated, an extended hatching phenotype often becomes evident.  Nose-touch and stroking assays show that nmrk-1 C. elegans have the same response to touch as N2 C. elegans.  L1 arrest recovery assays also reveal that L1 arrest in nmrk-1 mutated worms is more lethal than in N2 worms. Our research implies that the majority of unhatched nmrk-1 worms are dying inside their eggshells before they hatch.