Email Print Share

News From the Field

Mollusks Taste Memories to Build Shells


April 1, 2009

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Mollusks add daily to the margins of their shells, producing intricate patterns prized by beachcombers. Though this seems complex, the process can actually be explained by a simple network of nerve cells that sense or "taste" yesterday's shell layer in order to build today's. In essence, seashell patterns are a hard copy of a snail's memories. To prove it, UC-Berkeley and University of Pittsburgh researchers created a computer program that recreates the patterns seen in seashells.Full Story

Source
University of California, Berkeley

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

mail icon Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov