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 ...

'Left-handed' and 'right-handed' shells of giant pond snails, Lymnaea stagnalis. ((Kuroda Laboratory)) Japanese researchers have created mirror-image snails whose shells coil in the opposite direction ...

Snails have shells the moment they're born, but it's kind of hard to tell. In fact, it's hard to even see a baby snail. Some are nearly microscopic, such as Angustopila psammion, whose adult-sized ...

The great pond snail is helping scientists make great leaps in their understanding of asymmetries in the animal kingdom. Paul Starosta/Corbis Whether it flies, walks or swims, nearly any given animal ...

And maybe some new species, as well. In the novel Dr. No, the titular villain explains to James Bond that he once survived an assassination attempt because his heart was in the wrong place. The good ...

Janthina janthina, a bubble-rafting violet snail. The snail excretes mucus from its foot and uses the raft of bubbles to float from place to place. A rare bubble-rafting brown janthina snail, Recluzia ...

Bold snails are built to be tough. A close look at bold snails’ shells reveals that they are rounder, thicker and more bite-resistant than shy snails’ shells. This finding, published online April 22 ...

THE fascinating diversity of mollusc shells is showcased in these striking photographs of part of the shell collection at the Natural History Museum in London. The images are taken from Interesting ...