Mollusks, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2006

Sea Slug Offers Clues to Human Brain Disorders

Beneath a slimy fa?ade, the sea slug is somewhat of a brainiac. At any given time within a single brain cell of this marine snail (Aplysia), more than 10,000 genes are hard at work, suggests a new study looking at aspects of the sea slug's genome. By probing the brain...

Aug 31, 2011

To Sex-Starved Squid in the Dark, Either Gender Will Do

Meeting girls is tough if you're a male squid living in the deep, dark waters off the coast of California. You may run across your own species only rarely — and when you do, the deep-sea gloom makes it hard to tell whether your new pal is a guy or...

Jul 31, 2012

Deep-Sea Squid Ditches Wriggling Arms to Escape Predators

Much like lizards that ditch their tails in a tussle, some deep-sea squid can sacrifice their glowing arms to distract enemies and swim to safety. Scientists observed this defense mechanism first-hand in the foot-long octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) off the coast of California. If a predator is trying to attack...

Jul 31, 2012

Secret to Squid's Iridescent Rainbow Skin Discovered

For squid looking to sparkle, extra bling is only seconds away, thanks to a nerve network in the skin that allows these cephalopods to alter their iridescence — the first invertebrate creatures found to have this ability. A new study finds that electrical stimulation of the nerves in squid skin...

Jun 30, 2012

3-Hour Sex Sessions Exhaust Squid

If you've ever felt sleepy after sex, you're not alone. New research finds that after a long bout of mating, squid are too tired to do much swimming. The findings highlight the cost of getting busy, according to the study published today (July 17) in the journal Biology Letters. Being...

Nov 5, 2018

Man Dies 8 Years After Swallowing a Live Slug That Left Him Paralyzed

In 2010, a teenage rugby player in Australia named Sam Ballard accepted an unusual dare at a party: swallow a live garden slug. The experience left him paralyzed and with significant brain damage, and on Friday (Nov. 2), Ballard died in a Sydney hospital at the age of 28. The...

Mar 30, 2019

Gila Monster Photos: The Sluggish and Scaly Sweethearts of the American Desert

Modern-day monsters (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)Monsters live in the normally dry, desert landscapes of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern arid regions of Mexico. They belong to an ancient family of lizards called Helodermatidae which is a class of venomous...

Mar 8, 2021

This sea slug can chop off its head and grow an entire new body, twice

Two species of sea slugs can pop off their heads and regrow their entire bodies from the noggin down, scientists in Japan recently discovered. This incredible feat of regeneration can be achieved in just a couple of weeks and is absolutely mind-blowing. Most cases of animal regeneration — replacing damaged...

Jul 13, 2022

Cool Video: Sea Slug Dance Reveals Primitive Learning

An attempt by one slug species to eat another ends in a flamboyant dance by the potential prey — and in a learning experience for the hungry predator. A new video shows this interaction, which reveals that the predator sea slug, Pleurobranchaea californica is cleverer than previously believed. The slug,...

Jul 22, 2022

How do oysters make pearls?

While nearly all of the world's most treasured gemstones can be found buried underground, pearls hide in a far more unexpected setting: inside a shell. So how exactly did these iridescent jewels wind up in such an unlikely place? Despite what many people may think, pearls aren't the result of...

Oct 14, 2022

Shiny Giant Clams May Inspire New Solar Tech

Brilliant shades of blue and aqua coat the iridescent lips of giant clams, but these shiny cells aren't just for show, new research finds. The iridescent sheen directs beams of sunlight into the interior of the clam, providing light for algae housed inside. In a symbiotic return, the algae use...

Oct 7, 2023

Mangrove leaf slug: The solar-powered mollusk that gobbles up sunlight then goes months without eating

Name: Mangrove leaf slug (Elysia bangtawaensis) Where it lives: Shallow pools of water in the mangrove forests and swamps of southeast Asia and Australia What it eats: The content of tiny algal cells Why it's awesome: In addition to looking like a starry night sky, this fabulous slug belongs to...

Jul 11, 2007

'It is a Whopper:' Giant Squid on Beach

HOBART, Australia (AP) -- A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday. “It is a whopper,'' said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum. Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New...

Jun 13, 2008

Scientists See Squid Attack Squid

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. It was like a scene from a grade-B horror film. On a gently rocking vessel in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez, a young oceanographer earnestly watches her computer screen while colleagues...

Dec 15, 2008

Future of Jumbo Squid Questioned

The effects of climate change on the ocean could squeeze the jumbo squid out of its habitat, a new study suggests. As carbon dioxide from power plants, automobiles and other sources has built up in Earth's atmosphere since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, nearly half of it has been...