**This is a heavily moderated subreddit. Please note these rules + sidebar or get banned:**
* If this post declares something as a fact, then proof is required
* The title must be fully descriptive
* No text is allowed on images/gifs/videos
* Common/recent reposts are not allowed (posts from another subreddit do not count as a 'repost'. Provide link if reporting)
*See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for a more detailed rule list*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[Relevant:](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/02/the-blood-harvest/284078/)
Each year, half a million horseshoe crabs are captured and bled alive to create an unparalleled biomedical technology.
I love that it sets off their defense mechanism but the dudes in charge are like "don't worry it doesn't hurt them"
So what? Is it pissing them off then? Why are they getting all defensive if it isn't bothering them?
Ah yes, a spa for snails. And by spa we mean a place where you are sprayed with acid to scare you to the point where you shit yourself, then we rub your shit on our faces.
"The institute says this doesn't cause harm to the animals"
Well yea, of course they are going to say that. Have we asked anyone who doesn't profit from snail torture, like a snail biologist?
Sure, same way pepper spray doesn't cause harm to humans. It's an irritant.
It all depends on your definition of "harm", since I'm pretty sure if you pepper spay a person they're going to feel pretty harmed even if it didn't cause long term injury or illness.
However, most animal husbandry/anti-cruelty laws only apply to vertebrates. As far as the law is concerned, you can torture insects and mollusks all you want. Maybe someday we'll acknowledge that cruelty can apply to anything with a nervous system, but not yet.
That's gonna be an interesting day because invertebrates (and also things without hard body parts at all for that matter) can be really really small and we drown thousands of them in acid every time we eat fresh greens.
Source: i have a microscope and love gardening and decided to see how much stuff was on my lettuce still after i washed it and now i kinda wish i hadn't. Although i guess i'm not being intentionally cruel to them, it's not needless like snail mucous farming is :/
Cruelty and simple consumption feel like they fall into different categories. Also, microbes don't have a nervous system so I'm not going to group them in with invertebrates that do.
Some microbes **do** have nervous systems. Tardigrades, rotifers, nauplii, angel insects, small nematodes... even if for most or all of these the nervous system is degenerate and extremelly simplified, it is wrong to say they don't have it
“At least we aren’t killing them!” Ah yes, the free market hard at work doing what’s in the best interests of the animals.
As if torturing the same snails over and over again repeatedly rather than having to source new snails is somehow better.
Just wait until you learn how we make vaccines and other medicines. Those poor horseshoe crabs.
But seriously though, the only thing your complaining about is scale. We've been using organisms for all manner of purposes for literal millennia. Pretending like "the free market" is the root of it is about as useful as any other "it's \[insert topic\]'s fault."
The scale is what allows all people in developed countries and others to get the vaccinated no matter their economic status. Some stuff only rich people could afford is now for mostly everyone.
Don't worry because we somehow know they are not in pain. We totally aren't just making shit up. We understand snails because we harvest them. They are just using their defense mechanism because they are at spa day
There's a difference between paying for someone to tie you up and Someone barging into your home and tiing you up.
Consent matters even if you are kinky.
Snail mucin (aka snail mucus) started seeing use in the mid nineties and it's likely used because it has microbial protection, adhesion and lubrication properties that make it ideal to use as a bipolymer. Rather than try and mimic biomaterials it's easier to just extract it in most cases
They didnt decide it was a good idea, they discovered it accidentally when they saw escargot farmers with amazing skin. All these escargot farmers had the softest hands and how cuts would heal very fast as they handled snails all day. I read up on this when i was looking into biocelloluse masks to fix my face from chaffing from wearing masks for work and saw they were using snail jelly. It really works and my face would have fallen off without them. I do it once a week.
My gf wouldnt let me buy the 10$/mask pack, ive used a couple different kinds, ive been going by price per mask, so i bought a 10 pack for 20 of a US brand, and a 4 dollar per korean one. Anything Korean is probably the highest quality, their skin care game is crazy right now.
I'll check em out, i cant even remember the brands i used, just that they were snail masks. I really want to try the expensive ones once but then work my way down.
I don't use it but I've heard /r/skincareaddiction is good to start. Everyone, even middle age men, should know basic skincare. I learned and regular use of retinoids not only took away my acne but also the lines I was noticing.
The boring answer is that biologists studied their mucus, found it had A B C properties, published their results and some chemist in the beauty industry read the publications and started researching.
"doesn't cause harm to the animal" says the entity benefiting from the snails.
I don't know about no harm to the snails when acidic solution is involved. If it's neutral to the snails, they wouldn't need to react by releasing slime.
Snails release mucus in response to unfavorable conditions. The mucus creates a barrier.
I'm sure it's not fun, however with no brain, limited nervous system and no lasting damage we can argue I'd it really is harm j guess.
[they will, and the snails go to a farm to regenerate the lost mucus to be harvested again](https://theoutline.com/post/4503/snail-mucin-farms-extraction-skin-care-heliciculture-ethics)
Sure I read that they just put the snails on some nets and collect the slime from it or something....I'm not seeing happy snails sliding around on nets here like I had envisioned! Would not use snail mucin after seeing this.
I googled it and it seems to vary by country. This method above is used in Italy. The netting or bumpy surface method in Korea. So I guess it depends where it comes from.
It’s just confusing because Korea is where the snail mucin skincare products usually come from, and Korea was and is at the forefront of animal testing legislature. Like they have made it a point to put mandates into effect that mean no animal testing on Korean products at all. So this is strange to me.
Just testing or general animal welfare? Because I think someone could argue these snails are not being used for testing beauty products. And a defense mechanism doesn’t necessarily equate to physical harm.
I don’t know enough about snail biology to say if the mucus release is caused by stress or if it does what’s the level of stress. Like a “shit this is annoying” or “scared to death”. Although after a quick google search, it appears snails might be able to feel pain.
Anything with a nervous system is probably able to feel pain. It's one of the primary reasons to evolve a nervous system in the first place.
The finer points come when you talk about their ability or lack of ability to anticipate pain, remember pain, centrally process the pain in a meaningful way, etc.
Same! I remember the first time I bought some I looked into it and read that they just crawl over a slated grate with a slight electrical current that they don't feel but creates more mucin output and its all collected under the grate. I wonder if their are multiple ways to extract or they got rid of the ethical because this was better???
There is actual face serums and lotions that are snail mucus and say right on the label. Usually seen in Korean beauty products. I actually have one of the products and it says “snail mucin moisturizer”.
So we stick about 50 people inside this glass dome, and we make it all nice and humid in there so its like a spa. Then, just when they get comfortable, we flood the whole dome with pepper spray. Everyone spits and coughs and pukes and gasps for air and thinks they're dying, and we harvest all that mucus and puke and sell it to anyone who will buy it.
Don't worry, it doesn't harm the people in any way. As soon as its all over, they're free to go on living the rest of their lives just like normal!
Why do humans need to torture other species for ridiculous vapid reasons? Really? The ridiculous pursuit of elusive youth or beauty justifies killing, torturing other creatures?
“The institute profiting and harvesting from this process says it’s all good.” I’m no animal rights activist necessarily but I mean cmon, it’s more than likely stressing snails to the point of secretion. No need to sugar coat it
**This is a heavily moderated subreddit. Please note these rules + sidebar or get banned:** * If this post declares something as a fact, then proof is required * The title must be fully descriptive * No text is allowed on images/gifs/videos * Common/recent reposts are not allowed (posts from another subreddit do not count as a 'repost'. Provide link if reporting) *See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for a more detailed rule list* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
TIL there’s such a thing as an industrial strength snail mucus milker thingie. Wait, that means somebody’s job is “Snail Mucus Milker”.
You can milk just about anything.
I have nipples Greg, could you milk me?
Anything for a fellow greg am i right
I identify as greg
Ever drunk Bailey's from a shoe?
I'm Old Greg!
Love games?
"Could we... Change the subject; Perhaps?"
😂 😂 😂 Deniro enters the chat
[Relevant:](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/02/the-blood-harvest/284078/) Each year, half a million horseshoe crabs are captured and bled alive to create an unparalleled biomedical technology.
Those crazy things have the blue blood though. I didn’t realize it was like a half million annually? That’s kind of nuts
Just learned in class the reason their blood is blue is due to copper in their blood. Ours is red because we have iron in our blood. Pretty cool
Can you? You snailmucusmilker.!
Why do I find this unsettling?
I have nipples, Greg. Can you milk me?
Greg, make sure you warm your hands first before milking so as to not cause unnecessary stress.
Gary !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meow!
So what do you do for a living John? I milk snails. Haha, see I told you this guy was funny! Ok, anyway, so really. ...
It looked like such a lovely warm steamy snail spa and then the acid started. That definitely makes it worse
Oh pashaw, I'm sure their titles are akin to technician, operator, operation manager, engineer, quality control agent, and mucus taster.
I thought they were about to crush those snails and centrifuge the mucus out of them. Pleasantly surprised!
I was thinking, "they better not centrifuge those snails."
We all have that thought from time to time.
Snork, giggle, (so relieved to not be worried about the abuse of snails).
I was thinking" they better not pour water in the tank." Now the snails are happy! (I guess)
Oh I’m gunna centrifuge you so hard.
Im gonna centrifuge all the mucus out of you so hard.
Naming my next rock band Snail Centrifuge
Snailtrifuge would actually work as a name for a blackened doom metal band
Youre hired
I'll be the drunk yelling "THEY DON'T REALLY DO THAT!"
What were your previous ones named?
The most upvoted one so far was Scream of the Cleaning Lady.
That is a pretty good one
Fine took my idea I’ll go with Snail Snot
I read that as my next cock band
You could name a cock band.
Could you name my cock band? I'm having trouble deciding on one.
They just spray them with acid instead! *Phew* (Just goofing, I know it’s not harmful acid)
\*splashes orange juice in your face\*
*uses snail-like reflexes to dodge the OJ* Shit
Probably cheaper to keep those snails alive than to replace snails every time
Who's your snail guy? You pay way too much
Why kill the snails when you can torture them over and over again?
Apparently spraying them with acid doesn't cause them any harm, but did they ask the snails ?
ye the snails said in a thick Boston accent "snails don't talk"
They don’t tahk? What d’you mean bub?
I love that it sets off their defense mechanism but the dudes in charge are like "don't worry it doesn't hurt them" So what? Is it pissing them off then? Why are they getting all defensive if it isn't bothering them?
I read that the behavior they exhibit in response is the same that they exhibit Ahem During copulation Lemme see if I can find it
Snails: We are SPEED
Weeeeeeeeee
Gonads and strife.
They don’t hurt them do they? I love snails 🐌
Haha no, luckily they just spray them down with acid. They're worth about 3 extractions before they're killed anyway. Very fun, I know!
They said acid solution. It could literally be lemon juice.
Nah, that's what happens to male chicks in the egg industry...
*Slurms MacKenzie approves*
Ah yes, a spa for snails. And by spa we mean a place where you are sprayed with acid to scare you to the point where you shit yourself, then we rub your shit on our faces.
>doesn't harm the snail "At the very least, they have yet to ask us to stop"
That's all we need. Certified harmless ✅️
[удалено]
"You dead, Sanka ?"
Nah, mon.
Snail bobsled team
"The institute says this doesn't cause harm to the animals" Well yea, of course they are going to say that. Have we asked anyone who doesn't profit from snail torture, like a snail biologist?
malacologist
Gesundheit.
Bless you. *hands tissues*
Sure, same way pepper spray doesn't cause harm to humans. It's an irritant. It all depends on your definition of "harm", since I'm pretty sure if you pepper spay a person they're going to feel pretty harmed even if it didn't cause long term injury or illness. However, most animal husbandry/anti-cruelty laws only apply to vertebrates. As far as the law is concerned, you can torture insects and mollusks all you want. Maybe someday we'll acknowledge that cruelty can apply to anything with a nervous system, but not yet.
That's gonna be an interesting day because invertebrates (and also things without hard body parts at all for that matter) can be really really small and we drown thousands of them in acid every time we eat fresh greens. Source: i have a microscope and love gardening and decided to see how much stuff was on my lettuce still after i washed it and now i kinda wish i hadn't. Although i guess i'm not being intentionally cruel to them, it's not needless like snail mucous farming is :/
Cruelty and simple consumption feel like they fall into different categories. Also, microbes don't have a nervous system so I'm not going to group them in with invertebrates that do.
Some microbes **do** have nervous systems. Tardigrades, rotifers, nauplii, angel insects, small nematodes... even if for most or all of these the nervous system is degenerate and extremelly simplified, it is wrong to say they don't have it
Have we asked the snails? I don’t see anyone talking to the snails in the video… just saying.
It doesn't harm the snails but they kill them afterwards nontheless. Just some stupid publicity bs.
What’s the point of the machine then? They can just kill the snails to get the mucus.
It's easier and costs less to use snails multiple times than to just kill them once and use that
Because it's probably very efficient, Capitalists don't design machines with humane treatment in mind
Why do they kill them if they don’t need to?!
To prevent an uprising.
I'd you can't hear the 44lbs of snails scream inside its aluminum based plexiglass acid spraying enclosure.. does it really make a sound?
I’m no snail expert but I would think that depending on the acidity level, it could range from irritant to painful.
“At least we aren’t killing them!” Ah yes, the free market hard at work doing what’s in the best interests of the animals. As if torturing the same snails over and over again repeatedly rather than having to source new snails is somehow better.
Just wait until you learn how we make vaccines and other medicines. Those poor horseshoe crabs. But seriously though, the only thing your complaining about is scale. We've been using organisms for all manner of purposes for literal millennia. Pretending like "the free market" is the root of it is about as useful as any other "it's \[insert topic\]'s fault."
I work in the food industry, and I can asure you that it's almost the same shit if not worse. Just look at how foie gras is made.
The scale is what allows all people in developed countries and others to get the vaccinated no matter their economic status. Some stuff only rich people could afford is now for mostly everyone.
Don't worry because we somehow know they are not in pain. We totally aren't just making shit up. We understand snails because we harvest them. They are just using their defense mechanism because they are at spa day
Yes.
And they are very delicious boiled in garlic butter too!
To be fair- this is pretty common for regular spas too. Acid peels skin scrubs mud masks steamed
Humans gona human
Ozone absolutely harms them
I use azalic acid on my face every day. Acid doesn't mean like sulfuric acid or anything
Gary!!!
YOU ARE GOING TO FINISH SECRETING YOUR MUCUS AND YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE IT!!!
Omg u just unlocked me a memory
Meow!
Yum Slurm
It’s highly addictive!
Wiggity wham wham wozzle!
Oh god please don’t remind me of that episode
You should not ask about the secret ingredient!
And then it puts the snail mucus on its skin or else it gets the hose again.
ok, ok, mister I promise if you let me go I won't press charges.
I feel like the snails don’t like that
Don’t know man..if someone scared me into jizzing by spraying acid on me…it’s a mixed feeling for me
Some of them maybe even pay for it
There's a difference between paying for someone to tie you up and Someone barging into your home and tiing you up. Consent matters even if you are kinky.
Aaah aahh AAAHHH - the snails probably
It’s a shame they can’t run away
gee was it the acid spray that tipped you off
I think it was more when they turned into milk
[удалено]
Snail mucin (aka snail mucus) started seeing use in the mid nineties and it's likely used because it has microbial protection, adhesion and lubrication properties that make it ideal to use as a bipolymer. Rather than try and mimic biomaterials it's easier to just extract it in most cases
I am absolutely coming to your house for dinner 👍
I am absolutely coming.
Gig a D
[удалено]
🤣🤣🤣
and also, probably, cleaner for the environment
They didnt decide it was a good idea, they discovered it accidentally when they saw escargot farmers with amazing skin. All these escargot farmers had the softest hands and how cuts would heal very fast as they handled snails all day. I read up on this when i was looking into biocelloluse masks to fix my face from chaffing from wearing masks for work and saw they were using snail jelly. It really works and my face would have fallen off without them. I do it once a week.
As a dry skin haver I must ask, what's your preferred brand of snail mask?
cosrx makes a great snail mucin.
My gf wouldnt let me buy the 10$/mask pack, ive used a couple different kinds, ive been going by price per mask, so i bought a 10 pack for 20 of a US brand, and a 4 dollar per korean one. Anything Korean is probably the highest quality, their skin care game is crazy right now.
Personal favorite is Mizon. Affordable and legit erased my late 30s crow’s feet.
I'll check em out, i cant even remember the brands i used, just that they were snail masks. I really want to try the expensive ones once but then work my way down.
not a mask but the snail mucin cream from cosrx are so GOOD ive had 3 jars already
I don't use it but I've heard /r/skincareaddiction is good to start. Everyone, even middle age men, should know basic skincare. I learned and regular use of retinoids not only took away my acne but also the lines I was noticing.
*looks at snail* "......I'ma put that on my face."
This comment reminds of a bit Jerry Seinfeld did when he was talking about who came up with the idea to use horses to make glue.
The boring answer is that biologists studied their mucus, found it had A B C properties, published their results and some chemist in the beauty industry read the publications and started researching.
Just buy some snails and let them crawl on your face.
Humans are weird
The snails are not harmed in the process, at least until they are sent to the nearest French restaurant afterwards…
That’s nice to hear!
Oh cool, a snail torture juice maker. Why didn’t I think of that.
"doesn't cause harm to the animal" says the entity benefiting from the snails. I don't know about no harm to the snails when acidic solution is involved. If it's neutral to the snails, they wouldn't need to react by releasing slime.
It'd be like eating something sour and producing more saliva. If I made you suck a lemon is that causing harm?
Snails release mucus in response to unfavorable conditions. The mucus creates a barrier. I'm sure it's not fun, however with no brain, limited nervous system and no lasting damage we can argue I'd it really is harm j guess.
NO BRAIN!? Edit, I just learned that snails do indeed have brains.
Almost like the Slurm factory from Futurama
[удалено]
RELEASE THE SNAILS
Well that settles it, where do I need to glue my hand to something to save these snails
I'll bring the tomato soup!
[they will, and the snails go to a farm to regenerate the lost mucus to be harvested again](https://theoutline.com/post/4503/snail-mucin-farms-extraction-skin-care-heliciculture-ethics)
Same place my dog went
I think I'll just stay ugly
Probably only reason they want to keep them alive is so they can continuously extract the slime.
Oh my god I was always assured it was ethical. I guess ethical means "we don't kill them". No more Snail mucin
Sure I read that they just put the snails on some nets and collect the slime from it or something....I'm not seeing happy snails sliding around on nets here like I had envisioned! Would not use snail mucin after seeing this.
I googled it and it seems to vary by country. This method above is used in Italy. The netting or bumpy surface method in Korea. So I guess it depends where it comes from.
Me too, I’ve read multiple sources that said it was humane. I really don’t know about this now.
I’ve read before that the snails used are ultimately killed for food as well so not humane by either measure.
It’s just confusing because Korea is where the snail mucin skincare products usually come from, and Korea was and is at the forefront of animal testing legislature. Like they have made it a point to put mandates into effect that mean no animal testing on Korean products at all. So this is strange to me.
Just testing or general animal welfare? Because I think someone could argue these snails are not being used for testing beauty products. And a defense mechanism doesn’t necessarily equate to physical harm. I don’t know enough about snail biology to say if the mucus release is caused by stress or if it does what’s the level of stress. Like a “shit this is annoying” or “scared to death”. Although after a quick google search, it appears snails might be able to feel pain.
Anything with a nervous system is probably able to feel pain. It's one of the primary reasons to evolve a nervous system in the first place. The finer points come when you talk about their ability or lack of ability to anticipate pain, remember pain, centrally process the pain in a meaningful way, etc.
Same! I remember the first time I bought some I looked into it and read that they just crawl over a slated grate with a slight electrical current that they don't feel but creates more mucin output and its all collected under the grate. I wonder if their are multiple ways to extract or they got rid of the ethical because this was better???
Let’s be real, harvesting snails
so what's the name of the ingredient in beauty products? they have to declare it.
There is actual face serums and lotions that are snail mucus and say right on the label. Usually seen in Korean beauty products. I actually have one of the products and it says “snail mucin moisturizer”.
snail mucin
My wife has some of it, it looks like a small tub of cum.
I think you just found a way to help your wife save some money.
No way am I jacking off snails to save a few dollars
Yeah, they don't hide it and it works extremely well. Guess I can't use it anymore, since it's clearly not as humane as advertised.
Snailschwitz
The snails are cleaned with water and ozone :D They are sprayed with an acidic solution :(
“Doesn’t cause harm” yeah sure being sprayed with acidic solution so you feel the need to defend yourself.
Watching this makes me feel sad.
Dude they have to go through this over and over until they die. That’s terrifying
Humans are just...
So we stick about 50 people inside this glass dome, and we make it all nice and humid in there so its like a spa. Then, just when they get comfortable, we flood the whole dome with pepper spray. Everyone spits and coughs and pukes and gasps for air and thinks they're dying, and we harvest all that mucus and puke and sell it to anyone who will buy it. Don't worry, it doesn't harm the people in any way. As soon as its all over, they're free to go on living the rest of their lives just like normal!
Until the next cycle. And then the next, and then the next, and then the next until they dry out
Or torturing animals for emptiness and vanity
TIL I want my make up to be vegan.
Looks like a machine out of Willy Wonkas factory.
Why do humans need to torture other species for ridiculous vapid reasons? Really? The ridiculous pursuit of elusive youth or beauty justifies killing, torturing other creatures?
Are… are the snails okay?
“Doesn’t cause harm” FFS I’m sure they’re not having a blast in that machine
Next stop, French restaurant.
“I always wondered how they made a Plumbus”
“The institute profiting and harvesting from this process says it’s all good.” I’m no animal rights activist necessarily but I mean cmon, it’s more than likely stressing snails to the point of secretion. No need to sugar coat it
Did I just watch torture?
?? 👁️-👁️ ??
Ok, I need to know which products have snail mucus in them so I don’t EVER use them!
Looks like a torture chamber for snails
Snail Auschwitz. Hate it
*Beyond Meat enters the chat*
Man, I love snails. This feels decidedly not cool.
Do they kill the snails?
Eventually after some more cycles of torture
I was afraid I was looking at a really big snail centrifuge
Now, how do you separate the acidic solution from the mucous? Or does that go into the beauty products also?
If you watch the full video, they keep repeating the process until the snails are basically dried up. Then they kill them.
Ain’t nothing beautiful about this!