Symmetry is a feature of many plants, animals and even some molecules — like water. But that’s not the case with snails and their coiled shells. They are chiral — asymmetrical in such a way that they ...

A genetic spin doctor sets snail shells to swirl clockwise, new research confirms. And the twist in this story comes at the beginning — when snail embryos are just single cells. Working at the Tokyo ...

The snail’s shell diameter averages about 22 to 30 millimeters (.87 to 1.18 inches). Each snail’s shell has a unique combination of stripes and colors, so no two are exactly alike. These snails eat ...

Most snails are righties. Now scientists have found genes that make some of them born with shells coiling the other way. By JoAnna Klein The overwhelming majority of snails live in shells that coil to ...

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 ...

Over the past two decades, the Gulf of Maine has become a popular landing spot for invasive species from across the world, ...

Sea butterflies flit through the ocean on gossamer wings, each species with a style of its own. These tiny marine snails, or thecosomes, migrate up to surface waters at night to feed and sink to ...

Oct. 15 (UPI) --Rising acidity levels in the world's oceans are disrupting the shell-making abilities of the marine gastropods. According to a new study, the shells of triton shell sea snails are ...