{
  "id": 3813052,
  "title": "Snails Can Make Their Slime Sticky, Slippery, Foamy or Hard Depending on Their Needs. Here's How They Tweak Their Multipurpose Mucus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/snails-can-make-their-slime-sticky-slippery-foamy-or-hard-depending",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T20:04:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Smithsonian",
    "slug": "smithsonian",
    "url": "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/snails-can-make-their-slime-sticky-slippery-foamy-or-hard-depending-on-their-needs-heres-how-they-tweak-their-multipurpose-mucus-180989361/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The critters can alter the proportions of calcium and collagen in the versatile substance, which changes the protein structure. The different textures can help snails glide, climb or protect themselves",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}