Mollusks, from land snails and slugs to oysters and mussels in the sea, have a few things in common. They have a head. They have a soft middle part that holds their organs. Then, some have a muscle ...

All mollusks build their own shells, whether they live in water or on land. Creatures like snails, clams, oysters and mussels use an organ called a mantle to secrete layers of calcium carbonate, which ...

Scientists devised a mathematic model that helps explains how Nipponites, some of the wonkiest ammonites, built their shells. By Sabrina Imbler If you’ve seen one ammonite, you may think you’ve seen ...

You can see it in the logarithmic whorl of a nautilus. The milky iridescence of an abalone. The spiked turret of a queen conch. Precision, elegance, strength. The seashell is a consonance of form and ...

Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS ...

One hundred thousand years ago, a human cousin walked a rock- ribbed beach along the Mediterranean Sea, her head lowered and her large eyes scanning the shoreline. Now and again she stopped, bent her ...

Biomineralisation in molluscs encompasses the intricate processes by which these organisms synthesise their highly organised, calcified shells. Central to this process are shell matrix proteins (SMPs) ...