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Health officials in Hawaii have been warning residents not to touch snails or slugs with their bare hands because of an increase in cases of people coming into contact with a rare parasitic infection known as a rat lungworm. Experts are blaming its sudden spread across the United States on climate change and globalization.

...when did humans start eating snails? Well, researchers have recently discovered the earliest evidence of prehistoric people cooking and eating these terrestrial mollusks. But while you might imagine a rustic version of modern escargot, the snails in question were actually enormous in comparison.A team of researchers from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, have found shell fragments of land snails from the Achatinidae family – which can grow to 16 centimeters (6.3 inches) long – at Border Cave, located on a cliff near South Africa's border with Eswatini. The site has been excavated on multiple occasions since the...

Customs officials found six giant “highly invasive” snails with destructive potential in a traveler’s suitcase at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The giant African snails, which were alive, are “a prohibitive organism” that have the potential to wreak havoc on the environment and cause diseases in humans. They have an affinity for devouring plants, produce, flowers, tree bark, and even the paint and stucco off houses The gastropods also carry parasites that can lead to meningitis in humans Nevertheless, the snails are a popular finger food in some countries, which appears to be the reason the passenger flew the snails to Detroit...

Escar-whoa! The alarming discovery of giant African snails — which can stretch up to 8 inches long — has sparked concern and quarantines in a Florida county. The state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs confirmed the presence of the mammoth mollusks in Pasco County this week and warned residents to keep their distance. The snails carry the frightfully named rat lungworm parasite that can induce meningitis in humans, officials cautioned. The invasive snails are also capable of ravaging vegetation and are known to dine on more than 500 types of plants. “These snails could be devastating to Florida agriculture...

15 giant land snails have been captured at a Houston airport, officials said The snails, 0.25 pounds of dried beef and fresh leaves were seized at George Bush Intercontinental Airport They were seized by US Customs and Border Protection and eventually turned over to the US Department of Agriculture They were first spotted in southern Florida in the 1960s and it took nearly 10 years and $1 million to get rid of them...

A woman led authorities on a high-speed chase in Oregon — only for police to discover invasive snails inside the car when they finally caught up with her, police said. Anastasia Dickey, 33, of Utah, was pulled over Wednesday in Fruitland, Ore., on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, but allegedly sped off from the scene, the Argus Observer reported. She led authorities west on Interstate 84 to Ontario, reaching speeds of 92 miles per hour, police said. The cops attempted to deploy spikes to deflate her tires, but she continued until the vehicle became stranded on Union...

Known as a termopolium, Latin for hot drinks counter, the shop was discovered in the archaeological park's Regio V site, which is not yet open the public, and unveiled on Saturday. Traces of nearly 2,000-year-old food were found in some of the deep terra cotta jars containing hot food which the shop keeper lowered into a counter with circular holes. Archaeologists also found a decorated bronze drinking bowl known as a patera, ceramic jars used for cooking stews and soups, wine flasks and amphora. Pompeii, 23 km (14 miles) southeast of Naples, was home to about 13,000 people...

It is well chronicled that Hillary Clinton is a teetering old sot, corrupt as the day is long and the personification of evil. Amongst her other less endearing qualities there’s the oft-reported fact that she has body odor that can clear a room. (Use search engine ‘duckduckgo’ enter Hillary smells bad and see for yourself. Predictably only snopes claims this is untrue) She’s a horribly unpleasant and unlikable person with violent temper to boot.

SNIP Emily Ratajkowski admitted during a recent Q&A on her Instagram Stories that her complexion “freaked out” at the start of quarantine, and she’s switching up her skincare routine to combat the changes. One of the key products for that the model, 28, said she uses is Cosrx’s Advanced Snail Mucin Power Essence ($23), which boasts 96 percent snail mucin, a powerful ingredient that claims to “aid in skin repair, hydration, brightness and tone” of the skin. Though it may seem like a slimy mess, snail secretion is actually very popular in the skincare community, particularly in Korean beauty products....

It was just a silly dare among teenage boys. What could it hurt to eat a small slug? So Australian teenager Sam Ballard grabbed the slimy creature and gulped it down. He had no idea that the slug carried a potentially deadly worm that would put him into a coma that lasted more than a year, paralyze his body and ultimately take his life.

If you're considering eating raw or undercooked snails, slugs or centipedes — you may want to think again. Some of these delicacies may carry "rat lungworm," a parasite that can infect critters through rodent feces. Here's what you should know about the parasitic roundworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and how it can be avoided. Where is the parasite found? Rodents have the adult form, with sickened rats passing the parasite's larvae in feces, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says online. How are snails, slugs and humans infected?Infections occur in snails and slugs when they consume the parasite's larvae, the agency says, adding that humans...

China's Liuzhou Luosifen Food and Culture Museum takes visitors on a journey of the history, production process and development of luosifen, or rice noodles with snails. A signature dish of Guangxi, the snail noodles are made from pickled bamboo, dried turnip, fresh vegetables and peanuts, and served in a spicy noodle broth flavoured with river snails. The local dish has risen to national fame in recent years, with restaurants specialising in it in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and even overseas.

...A traveler from Ghana tried to bring 14 Giant African Land Snails into the US...one of the worst invasive species...could have been devastating to crops.

<p>U.S. Customs and Border protection inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport seized 67 live giant African snails meant for human consumption.</p> <p>The prohibited snails arrived from Nigeria and were being sent to a person in San Dimas, said Lee Harty, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.</p>

Can anything not be faster than the legendary speeding snail? The common garden snail Helix aspera can cover a metre an hour. This is actually faster than the recorded speed that certain nations’ mail services at times operate, Canada and Britain amongst them...The snail’s own love life is if anything even more unusual. In fact they would doubtlessly have thrown Giovanni Casanova into throes of admiration. Determined to enjoy life to the full, each and every gastropod is hermaphrodite. By way of encouragement, they tickle each other’s fancy with love-darts, hard spikes jabbed into each other during mating. Some can...

The slimy secret of eternal youth: Japanese salon launches anti-ageing beauty treatment that involves letting live SNAILS crawl across your face They have long been regarded as a nuisance in the garden but it seems that snails could be more friend than foe when it comes to anti-ageing. A revolutionary new facial that involves allowing live snails to slither across the complexion has been hailed the next big thing in beauty thanks to the glow-boosting properties of snail mucus.

Residents of a Houston neighborhood are being warned to stay away from giant African land snails after a woman found one in her garden and snapped a photo of it. The snails, researchers warn, are potentially dangerous to touch, in part because they can carry meningitis. Scientists have warned anyone who comes in contact with them to wash their hands thoroughly. "They also carry a parasitic disease that can cause a lot of harm to humans and sometimes even death," Autumn Smith-Herron, director of the Institute for the Study of Invasive Species at Sam Houston State University, told NBC Houston...

South Florida is battling a growing infestation of the giant African land snail. The snail is considered one of the most destructive invasive species, feeding voraciously on more than 500 plant species. They can also eat through plaster walls, which provides the calcium content they need for their shells. Experts recently gathered at a science meeting in Gainesville to seek the best way of eradicating the snails. According to Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, more than 1,000 of the snails are being caught each week in Miami-Dade county and 117,000 in total...

Snails on speed don't get speedier—but their supercharged brains do learn better and make memories that last much longer, a new study says. Scientists gave pond snails the amphetamine crystal meth to explore the memory-related brain processes that get humans so hooked on the drug. Human meth users experience sensations of happiness and high self-esteem that help make the drug extremely addictive. Scientists suspect that such cravings may be tied to powerful "pathological memories" that make such highs difficult to forget. "We were not trying to addict the snails," said study co-author Barbara Sorg, a biochemist at Washington State University...

MIAMI, - Authorities in Florida said they are investigating the alleged illegal importing of giant African snails for use in a religious healing ritual. A search warrant filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court said state and federal investigators raided the home of Charles Stewart, 48, in January after receiving information that he was keeping a large box full of the snails, which are only allowed in the United States with special permits for scientific research, the Miami Herald reported Thursday. Federal authorities said they began investigating Stewart in November after receiving complaints that he was feeding the juices from the snails...