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1. Casu marzu, Italy Sardinia is a beautiful island off the coast of Italy, and it’s known for its traditional foods. One of the most famous (or infamous) dishes is casu marzu, a cheese infested with live maggots. The maggots make the cheese so pungent and strong-tasting; some even say it’s an acquired taste. If you’re feeling brave, try this maggot cheese for yourself – just be sure to remove the maggots before you eat it! Casu marzu means “rotten cheese” or “maggoty cheese,” depending on your translation preferences. Its name comes from its main ingredient—sheep’s milk—and its distinct texture:...

When you get on an airplane, there are a lot of things that you can reasonably expect could go wrong. Maybe your seatmate is too wide to fit in just one seat. Maybe a child will start crying. Maybe you’re forced to witness another passenger going to the bathroom barefoot. No one is going to enjoy experiencing any of those issues, but they’re also completely normal. On a recent flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, however, the Daily Mail reports that passengers had to deal with the completely unexpected problem of maggots falling onto them from the overhead compartmen

Suitcases Arranged In Outdoor Experiment Suitcases in the decomposition experiment. (Paola Magni) A crime scene can present itself in any form and size. In recent weeks, an Aotearoa New Zealand family who'd purchased abandoned goods from a storage locker made the harrowing discovery of two sets of human remains hidden inside two suitcases. Sadly, this is not a unique case – bodies of murder victims are found in suitcases with astonishing regularity. But they present a particular challenge for police investigating the crime, which is where forensic science comes in. Why suitcases? Forensic case history and crime news are sadly...

A tiny container of maggots made a world of difference for an Arizona woman facing surgery. Dr. Erika Huston at Tuscon Medical Center said the patient had severe wounds on both sides of both ankles that became infected. Although the original plan called for surgery to clean maggots and dead tissue from the wounds, Huston told KOLD she "took the dressings off the wound the next day and the maggots had cleaned the wounds significantly."

Machine learning can help maggots solve crimes Trained algorithms can identify maggots and read clues like time of deathMaggots don’t have fingers, but they do produce chemical “fingerprints” — a blend of chemicals unique to their species. Different maggot species feed on corpses at particular stages of decay. Forensics teams actually use this information to estimate a person’s time of death. The problem is that maggots, which are immature flies, are tricky to identify and rearing them to flyhood is time-consuming and expensive. University of Albany researchers developed a machine learning technique to rapidly distinguish maggot species by their chemical...

Kenosha, Wisconsin has been ravaged. Minneapolis has been burned. Black Lives Matter and Antifa continue to tear the heart out of once-great cities like Portland. A siege of the White House is being planned. Nationwide, violence has moved into suburban areas and residential neighborhoods. Groups of extremists are specifically targeting the residences of mayors, chiefs of police and other political enemies. The establishment press continues to peddle the notion that what we are seeing across the nation is nothing more than “peaceful protest” designed to achieve change within the existing system. No doubt, even many people in the streets believe...

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Scientists have discovered how a tiny worm-like creature with no arms, legs or wings nonetheless manages to perform stupendous leaps through the air. The acrobatic feats of these larvae were first noticed by Mike Wise of Roanoke College a few years ago, and now, in the Journal of Experimental Biology, he and some colleagues explain this critter's unusual trick. Wise studies how plants defend themselves from hungry insects, and one day he was dissecting tumor-like swellings on goldenrod that form around the maggot-like larvae of developing flies. "The larvae get as big, when they're full grown, as, say, a small...

In one year, a single acre of black soldier fly larvae can produce more protein than 3,000 acres of cattle or 130 acres of soybeans. Such yields, combined with the need to find cheap, reliable protein for a global population projected to jump 30 per cent, to 9.8 billion by 2050, present big opportunity for the black soldier fly. The United Nations, which already warns that animal-rich diets cannot stretch that far long term, is encouraging governments and businesses to turn to insects to fulfill the planet’s protein needs. People who’ve seen what black soldier fly larvae can do often...

Once these larvae — often those of green bottle blowflies — are connected with patients, they get right to work, keeping wounds contamination-free by gulping down dead human tissue and spreading their antibacterial saliva. This macabre treatment may sound unusual, but it's actually a remedy that dates back to ancient times. For instance, the Australian Aboriginal peoples used maggots to clean wounds. And during World War I, soldiers in trenches also used the critters. To roll out "project maggot," the U.K. will have field hospitals raise maggots on location. Once the fly eggs are laid, they will be sterilized and...

FULL TITLE: Court hears how four-month-old boy's maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing after he went unchanged for a week and died of extreme 'diaper rash' as his father faces trial for murder An Iowa father's murder trial has begun after his infant son's body was found maggot-infested in a baby swing after dying from diaper rash last year. Four-month-old Sterling Koehn had been in the same diaper for nine to 14 days when his body was found in the swing August 30, 2017, at his parents' apartment in Alta Vista. The baby's father, 29-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn,...

This is something you may not have given much thought to, but leeches have wonderful saliva. "Within the leech saliva there is a substance in there called hirudin," Jim Tomsche said. "And there's other things in their saliva as well ... which allows blood flow to expand or vessels to open up their blood supply and also has an anesthetic effect." If that news doesn't make your blood flow, it might some day when you need it the most. Medically used for bloodletting purposes for thousands of years, Hirudo medicinalis — the medicinal leech — is back on the job...

Sometimes ancient remedies are the best, even if they make you a little squeamish. Maggots are being used again but in a new way: to save lives, limbs and money. Some doctors think the larvae could revolutionize wound care, which costs $10 to 15 billion a year in the U.S. It’s a problem that will grow, with our growing diabetes population. On the Ca-Hil farm out in the small town of Wild Peach in Brazoria County, it is another day. Owner Randy Harang is prepping the fields to bale hay, but for the 59-year-old, it is not just business as...

About a week after the Rindone family returned from their tropical summer vacation, 7-year-old Andrew started complaining about a bump on his head. "It did hurt a little," Andrew said. "And, it did itch." The boy's pediatrician thought he had an infection and prescribed antibiotics. But the bump just kept getting bigger, and a small pinhole began to appear. Then one day, Andrew was on the couch when his mother saw something that horrified her. "We kind of noticed something peek out of the hole," Jennifer Rindone said. The small opening was apparently a breathing hole for the larvae growing...

Maggots found in Whole Foods meat case, health officials say they’re not moving fast enough to fix the problem Whole Foods claims to be “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” and that they, “maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry.” Such claims might start to be questioned, however, after a disgusting discovery at one of their San Francisco locations on Monday, April 21. Last week, KRON 4 News exclusively reported that maggots were found in a meat case. Now, KRON 4 News is reporting that the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) claims Whole Foods hasn’t worked quickly enough to...

Parents in Rhode Island are being warned that their children could succumb to horrifying infestations of nasal maggots worming in their noses, internal bleeding and lung infections if they continue snorting Smarties candies. The skin-crawling consequences of the unusual trend which seeks to imitate cocaine users seen on television, are caused by a condition called nasal myiasis—which occurs when flies lay larvae eggs inside the nose—attracted by the rotting candy rammed up inside the lining. According to officials in Portsmouth Middle School, the trend is a “widespread phenomenon” that has been sweeping YouTube in recent years and has involved over...

Maggots found in Atlanta airport sandwich, food inspections enhanced ATLANTA — Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport officials tell Channel 2 Action News they are enhancing the way they inspect restaurants inside the airport after a man showed Channel 2 Action News a sandwich he purchased from an airport vendor had maggots. The passenger told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri he bought a sandwich at an airport restaurant Wednesday morning. When he opened it he said he was stunned to find maggots on it. Joel Woloshuk says he got out his phone and recorded video of the bugs crawling on his focaccia...

Enlarge Image Creepy, yet calming. Maggots' excretions soothe inflamed wounds, speeding healing. Credit: Cory Doctorow Yes, maggots are creepy, crawly, and slimy. But that slime is a remarkable healing balm, used by battlefield surgeons for centuries to close wounds. Now, researchers say they've figured out how the fly larvae work their magic: They suppress our immune system. Maggots are efficient consumers of dead tissue. They munch on rotting flesh, leaving healthy tissue practically unscathed. Physicians in Napoleon's army used the larvae to clean wounds. In World War I, American surgeon William Baer noticed that soldiers with maggot-infested gashes didn't...

Sex, drugs and hiding from the law at Wall Street protestsBy LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT and BOB FREDERICKS Last Updated: 8:13 AM, October 10, 2011 The criminals are crashing the party. Lured by cheap drugs and free food, creepy thugs have infiltrated the crowd of protesters camped out in Zuccotti Park for Occupy Wall Street, The Post has learned. “I got warrants. I’m running from the law,” boasted Dave, 24, a scrawny, unshaven miscreant in filthy clothes from Stamford, Conn. “I’m not even supposed to be here, but it’s as good a spot as any to hide.” Wanted for burglary, the drug-addled...

(NewsCore) - Italian police arrested a Naples butcher after discovering worm-infested meat for sale in his store that was 10 years past its expiry date, the ANSA news agency reported Friday. Shocked food safety inspectors discovered pasta and biscuits crawling with parasites, rotting meats and dairy products, and olives covered in mold in the store of horrors. The butcher tampered with expiry dates on the products in order to keep on selling the items, even though some were a decade old, the report said. Police arrested the butcher on suspicion of endangering public health.