When it comes to seafood, mussels are top-notch. However, don't cut corners by purchasing frozen mussels -- as it's simply not worth the hassle.

“People take their boats out for recreation, or for that matter, large ships can pick up these larvae—and even adult zebra mussels—and transport them across the ocean,” Nickell explained.

Within the animal kingdom, mussels are masters of underwater adhesion. The marine mollusks cluster atop rocks and along the bottoms of ships, and hold fast against the ocean's waves thanks to a ...