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Since the dawn of civilization, leeches have been firmly attached to medicine. Therapeutic bloodsuckers are seen in murals decorating the tombs of 18 th dynasty Egyptian pharaohs. They got their ...

They bite, slither, and slide — and they save fingers and lives. While the sight of a wriggling, blood-sucking leech may make many people feel queasy, the spineless worms can also help people feel ...

Pharaohs, French aristocrats and wounded Revolutionary War soldiers alike have used leeches to treat all kinds of ailments. Through the centuries, the ignoble leech has been used in attempts to cure ...

A new video shows what appears to be the first evidence of jumping land-dwelling leeches in Madagascar, Africa. It was taken in 2017 by Mai Fahmy, who posted about the findings on Instagram on ...

In the summer of 2015, when Smithsonian research zoologist Anna Phillips and other scientists were standing in slow-moving swamp water, letting leeches latch onto their bare legs or gathering them up ...

Your support goes further this holiday season. When you buy an annual membership or give a one-time contribution, we’ll give a membership to someone who can’t afford access. It’s a simple way for you ...

The biological history of leeches is difficult to study: Their tissue decomposes almost immediately, and their boneless bodies rarely fossilize. But a geological formation in Wisconsin preserved a ...

Receive emails about upcoming NOVA programs and related content, as well as featured reporting about current events through a science lens. Mark Siddall: Dear Inge, Yes. Stay very very still. They are ...

A new T. rex of the leech world has been named — one with ferociously large teeth, but only a tiny body and just one jaw. This new leech species, Tyrannobdella rex, which means "tyrant leech king," ...

Leech therapy, or hirudotherapy, has a long and ancient history. The earliest records of leech use date back to the ancient Egyptians, who used leeches to remove blood from the body. The ancient ...

The beagle patrolling Toronto Pearson International Airport was prowling for the subtle scents of contraband when an unexpected odor tickled its olfactory receptors. The source was the luggage of a ...