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    "headline": "A Tight Shell Changes What a Crab Does With Dinner",
    "slug": "a-tight-shell-changes-what-a-crab-does-with-dinner",
    "dek": "Hermit crabs in undersized shells kept eating but appeared to absorb less from the same food.",
    "summary": "Hermit crabs in undersized shells kept eating but appeared to absorb less from the same food.",
    "body_text": "Tufts researchers found constrained crabs did not reduce food intake but produced more waste, suggesting lower nutrient assimilation. That could keep body size compatible with scarce housing. The mechanism is specific to this study and is not a human weight-control analogy.",
    "why_it_matters": "Hermit crabs in undersized shells kept eating but appeared to absorb less from the same food.",
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      "The mechanism is specific to this study and is not a human weight-control analogy."
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    "tags": [
      "hermit crabs",
      "growth",
      "nutrition"
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    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-17-006",
      "title": "Tufts via Newswise: Shell too snug?",
      "publisher": "Tufts via Newswise",
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      "published_at": "2026-07-16T19:25:00.000-04:00",
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    "name": "The Machine Press",
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    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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    "title": "A Tight Shell Changes What a Crab Does With Dinner",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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