/oss/taxonomy/term/857/all en /oss/article/did-you-know/snails-spiders-and-octupi-all-have-blue-blood <p>Snails, spiders and octopi have something in common- they all have blue blood! We're not talking in the sense of royalty, these creatures literally have blue blood. So why is their blood blue and ours red?</p> <p>One of the purposes of blood is to carry oxygen around the body. That transport system is actually quite complex, not just a matter of oxygen dissolving in liquid blood.  </p> Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:01:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6920 at /oss /oss/article/cosmetics/how-about-some-snail-cream <p>No, you don’t eat it. Neither is it meant to limber up the arthritic joints of snails. You massage it into your face to improve complexion, reduce wrinkles and improve scar lines. At least that’s the claim. Aren’t the marketers of cosmetics truly talented? They can squeeze a truckload of hope into a tiny jar. The industry tends to produce new products at a frantic pace, but in one special case, it happens at a snail's pace. Literally. Face creams that contain snail slime are a hot item in South America and Korea and are slowly slithering their way to North America.</p> Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:24:40 +0000 OSS 1863 at /oss