Scientists find the gene that sets snail shell coiling direction
In short
- A gene determines whether Euhadra snails in Japan develop left- or right-coiling shells.
- Researchers from the University of Nottingham and Tohoku University studied wild snails in Japan.
- The findings may help explain the handedness of our own bodies.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
Snail shells can coil in one of two directions, and until now the cause was unclear. The team found a gene that sets which way wild Euhadra snails in Japan coil. The researchers say the work may help explain the underlying handedness of bodies, including our own.
From Phys.org
Scientists have discovered a gene that determines whether Japanese snails develop shells that are left- or right-coiling—with implications for understanding the underlying handedness of our own bodies. The researchers from the University of Nottingham and Tohoku University studied wild Euhadra snails in Japan to understand what makes one snail a mirror image of another.
Ask this story
For kids
Some snails have shells that spiral to the left, and some spiral to the right. Scientists have found a gene that decides which way a snail's shell will turn. This helps us understand how bodies can be mirror images of each other. Talk about it: Can you draw a spiral that turns to the left and one that turns to the right?
