Recent news on molluscs

With Jordan Halpern, Katie Raffaini, Ciara Samuel,

and Shasta Parker

Nacre Used for Medical Purposes

Nacre is present within the shell of certain snails

Nacre consists of a multilayer structure of crystalline calcium carbonate
platelets separated by porous organic layers. (found in pearls)
Scientists have discovered a way to create an artificial version of nacre, to be
used for synthetic purposes.
Artificial nacre is created with calcium carbonate, covered with an organic
layer with pores. It crystallizes, and the steps are continuously repeated
Nacre can be used in the regeneration of human bones

A New Freshwater Snail

A Silurian armoured aplacophoran and implications for molluscan

phylogeny. In other words...

Which Came First, Shells or no Shells?

According to various scientists who reported to the magazine Nature, the

debate over whether or not the earliest Molluscs had shells or not, is over.
An organism that lived approximately 425 million years ago, named
Kulindroplax, was found on the Welsh Borderland that is directly related to the
chitton a proven ancient mollusk.
It holds the shell or bone protein that confirms it is a direct relative of the
Mollusca family and had a shell.

How Molluscs Got Their Teeth

Scientists had been looking at mollusc fossils for a long

time, but when they started looking with and stronger
microscope, they found something new.
They found they have an early form of a radula which is
a conveyor belt in their mouths that holds three rows
each with about seventeen very sharp, interlocking teeth
that help the mollusc eat.
The teeth would have moved around the end of the
tongue scooping food from the ground.
This discovery has brought scientists one step closer to
finding out where the Molluscs came from and why they
are so prosperous.

Fun Facts about Mollusks

Octopuses have amazing defenses. They can change their coloring to blend in with their
surroundings. They can squirt out ink to distract a predator. They can even lose an arm
if a predator grabs them. Finally, octopuses can give a nasty bite with their beaks if
necessary. Dont mess with an octopus!

Most squids are small, but the giant squid is huge. It can grow up to 55 feet long. Most
are about 33 feet long. Their eyes are the size of beach balls, which lets them see in
the dark ocean.

Snails and slugs are called gastropods. There are over 80,000 species of gastropods in
the world. Some people love to eat snails.

Clams and mussels live in the sea and rivers.

Cite Pages
Slide 5: A Silurian armoured aplacophoran and implications for molluscan phylogeny Nature 490, 9497
(04 October 2012)
Slide 2 http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n7/full/ncomms1970.html
Nature Communications Volume:3,Article number:966 Received 02 April 2012 Accepted 21 June 2012 Published 24 July 2012 ture.

3 and 4:A new freshwater snail genus (Hydrobiidae, Gastropoda) from Montenegro, with
a discussion on gastropod diversity and endemism in Skadar Lake, Pensoft Article by
com/ncommSlide

http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=3771