An animal's shell is subjected to stress throughout its life, and residual stress can be released and measured as strain. The shape and texture of the shell are advantageous features of design.

Mineral crystals in heart cockles’ shells protect symbiotic algae from ultraviolet rays and could lead to innovations in internet infrastructure.

Unlike clams, the heart cockle doesn't need to open wide to bask in the sun. It has a clever trick up its shell: tiny, ...

Glittering like a disco ball, this bivalve puts on startling light shows for the animals trying to eat it. In the face of danger, most bivalves protect their squishy bodies by snapping their hard ...

Nacre can form naturally around almost any irritant that gets inside the shell, creating some very unique and precious pearls. Other bivalve molluscs and gastropods can produce pearls, but these ...

Both clams and mussels are bivalve mollusks (along with oysters and scallops) that have two-part hinged shells and a soft body. They are both filter feeders, meaning they subsist on nutrients they ...

Heart cockles are bivalve mollusks that resemble clams. And like clams, they have a symbiotic relationship with the algae that live inside their shells. In the relationship, the algae get food ...