NPR News·3 min read·medium
Sticky or slippery? Snails can change their slime to meet the moment
A
Ari Daniel
✦AI Summary
Researchers have discovered that brown-lipped snails can produce five distinct types of mucus by adjusting protein and ion proportions. This biological mechanism offers potential inspiration for engineers developing new materials like surgical glues or drug delivery systems.
Slime is splattered across the animal kingdom. Tubeworms produce mucus that glows. Hagfish can make buckets of slime in an instant. And then there are snails.
scienceenvironment
✦
Get the full story
Sign up for Headlinne to unlock AI insights, political bias analysis, and your personalized news feed.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in