Mean girls thrive on control disguised as concern. When a vibe vampire side-eyes you and makes a cutting comment, ... Mood leeches feed on your reaction. Starve them.

While the idea of jumping leeches might sound like it’s only the stuff of nightmares—I still can’t forget those terrifying trapdoor spiders—scientists have actually confirmed that, yes ...

For some, it’s the stuff of nightmares. But a grad student’s serendipitous cell phone video might resolve a long-running debate over leech acrobatics.

The leeches prepare by anchoring their rear sucker to a surface – in this case, a leaf – and coiling the rest of their body backwards. Then, in one rapid motion, ...

Scientists have uncovered video evidence that at least one species of terrestrial leech can jump. This behavior has been debated for over 100 years, and can now be put to rest following research ...

Land-dwelling leeches can seem like placid creatures. But when they’re on the hunt for blood, look out. An appetite for blood may have provoked acts of startling athleticism, documented in a ...

As the British medical historians Robert G.W. Kirk and Neil Pemberton wrote in their 2013 book, “Leech,” the worms were long celebrated as a gentle alternative to the lancet and became known ...

Other French hospitals recorded robust use during the years of peak leech popularity, too: From 1820 to 1850, some used between 5,000 and 60,000 leeches annually, according to work by Roy Sawyer ...

Leeches are a natural part of the ecosystem and thrive in shallow, stagnant water, particularly in areas covered by leaves, aquatic weeds, submerged branches or other organic material.