Gross out?

Science World, Dec 8, 2003 by Nancy Finton

Call him Monster Claws. Romesh Sharma of India just nailed the record books with a combined left-hand fingernail length of 10 meters (33 feet)--scratching out the previous record of 6.15 m (20.18 ft).

If you want to beat Romesh, plan on 50 years of patience. The average fingernail sprouts a puny 3.6 centimeters (1.5 inches) each year. To maintain this growing pace: Keep warm, eat healthfully, and avoid smoking, so that your body can produce plenty of keratin, the protein that builds nails and hair.

Before you chuck your plans of playing professional basketball, be advised that long nails can make you sick. University of Georgia scientists convinced volunteers to dip fingers into chopped meat and material filled with harmless germs. Even after scrubbing, "We found that the longer the nails, the less well nails get cleaned," says microbiologist Mike Doyle. And dirty nails can spread illness-causing diseases. Let's hope Romesh doesn't use his nails to pick his teeth.