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In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the bizarre but brilliant world of snail racing—and the scientists who study it to unlock secrets of movement, slime, and survival.

Every summer in England, snails compete in the World Snail Racing Championships. It sounds ridiculous… until you realize researchers are using these races to study animal locomotion, non-Newtonian fluids, and biomimicry.

🐌 Why snail slime is both sticky and slippery
🧪 How snail mucus behaves like a non-Newtonian fluid
🏃‍♂️ How snails move using muscular waves instead of steps
🩹 Why snail-inspired adhesives could revolutionize wound closure and surgery
🤖 How snail movement is inspiring soft robotics for medicine and rescue tech

Scientists from engineering, biomechanics, and ecology use snail racing data to understand friction control, climate adaptation, and even how future robots might crawl through collapsed buildings or blood vessels.

It’s slow science. It’s weird science. And it turns out… it’s incredibly important.

🎧 This episode is part of our Niche Scientists minisode series—short episodes spotlighting the wonderfully specific research quietly shaping the future.

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