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Leeches are a type of parasitic worm. Leech therapy involves applying leeches to a wound to increase circulation, improve blood flow, and promote healing. Its practice has varied over time, but it ...

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 ...

A 430-million-year-old fossil has rewritten leech history, showing they are at least 200 million years older than previously believed. Unlike today’s bloodsucking leeches, their ancient ancestors ...

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European medicinal leeches were famous for their popular purpose: treatment for everything from cancer to mental illness. But the high demand left them endangered—still today. Bloodletting ...

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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 ...

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 ...