Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

by Helen Scales

Overview

A biological and cultural biography of the ubiquitous yet mystical seashell.

Seashells, stretching from the deep past into the present day, are touchstones leading into fascinating realms of the natural world and cutting-edge science. In Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells, marine biologist Helen Scales shows how seashells have been sculpted by the fundamental rules of mathematics and evolution; how they gave us color, gems, food, and new medicines.

Members of the phylum Mollusca are among the most ancient animals on the planet. Their shells provide homes for other animals, and across the ages, people have used shells not only as trinkets but also as a form of money, and as powerful symbols of sex and death, prestige and war.

The science and natural history of shells are woven into a compelling narrative, revealing their cultural importance and the ways they have been used by humans over the millennia, even as a source of mind-bending drugs. After surviving multiple mass extinctions millions of years ago, mollusks and their shells still face an onslaught of anthropocentric challenges, including climate change and corrosive oceans. But rather than dwelling on all that is lost, Scales emphasizes that seashells offer an accessible way to reconnect people with nature, helping to bridge the gap between ourselves and the living world. Spirals in Time shows why nature matters, and reveals the hidden wonders that you can hold in the palm of your hand.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472911384
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	07/26/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	682,457
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Helen Scales is a marine biologist who has tagged sharks in California and studied the diverse fish that live on coral reefs in the South Pacific. She is a freelance researcher and science reporter, and the author of POSEIDON'S STEED: THE STORY OF SEAHORSES, FROM MYTH TO REALITY. Scales lives in Cambridge, England.

Table of Contents

Prologue 9

Chapter 1 Meet the Shell-makers 21

Chapter 2 How to Build a Shell 47

Chapter 3 Sex, Death and Gems 77

Chapter 4 Shell Food 99

Chapter 5 A Mollusc Called Home 121

Chapter 6 Spinning Shell Stories 145

Chapter 7 Flight of the Argonauts 173

Chapter 8 Hunting for Treasures 203

Chapter 9 Bright Ideas 233

Chapter 10 The Sea Butterfly Effect 255

Epilogue 283

A Note on Shell-collecting 287

Glossary: A Word in your Shell-like 290

Select Bibliography 293

Acknowledgements 297

Index 299

Editorial Reviews

Molluscs may not seem life's most exciting phylum. But Helen Scales, a marine biologist-turned-science writer, makes an impassioned and convincing case otherwise.” —The Economist

“An enchanting, accessible tour of the seashell and its place and purpose within the natural world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Scales . . . brings a marine biologist's eye and aficionado's heart to these musings on seashells . . . [Her] eclectic approach to this ancient bridge between the human and natural worlds conveys her curiosity and appreciation.”” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

05/25/2015
Scales (Poseidon’s Steed), a freelance researcher and science reporter, brings a marine biologist’s eye and aficionado’s heart to these musings on seashells, the diversity of mollusks that inhabit them, and the human fascination with them, dancing across a variety of fields of study in her zeal. Scales addresses the mathematics of chambered shell construction, which is theoretically controllable with a small number of rules, and explores sociology through the history of shells as pure ornamentation, markers of social class, and fodder for museums and collectors. She also highlights the social complexities within shellfish-collecting communities such as Gambia’s Try Oyster Women’s Association. Scales covers biology from several angles, investigating the poorly understood history of mollusk evolution as well as oddities such as the strange Pinna nobilis, which produces sea silk; the recent rediscovery of argonauts, the only shell-dwelling cephalopods; and the deadly venom produced by cone snails. Even materials science gets its due as Scales shares research on the composition of mussel glue and the surprising strength of nacre. Conservationism is not a major theme, but she does raise concerns about marine pollution and the impact of pH shifts on mollusk populations. Scales’s eclectic approach to this ancient bridge between the human and natural worlds conveys her curiosity and appreciation, which readers will share. Color insert. (July)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2015
With a light narrative style, Scales's book on seashells and their inhabitants draws on earlier scientific research, recent examinations, and her own investigations. The marine biologist, diver, broadcaster, and author of Poseidon's Steed covers the shell and the mollusk inside at the macro and microscopic levels, discussing evolution, behavior, predators and prey, legends, and ecology. She also emphasizes ocean changes, offers commentary on the future of mollusks, and features a brief call to action. Entertaining, thought provoking, and at times frustrating, this welcome tome brings to light some lesser-known shell specialists, such as Jeanne Power and Hugh Cuming. Illustrations would have made some discussions easier to follow, as not everyone is familiar with the geologic time scale or has a mental image of an Argonaut or a Noble Pen Shell. This title is broader in scope than both Geerat Vermeij's Natural History of Shells (which is stronger on the science) and Hans Meinhardt's Algorithmic Beauty of Seashells (which covers the shape and mathematical design of shells). Compared to Scales's previous work, it is simultaneously less personal and not as formal, lacking an overall bibliography and index but equipped with chapter references. VERDICT Recommended for readers of marine science and nature books.—Jean E. Crampon, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, Lib.

Library Journal

2015-04-21
British marine biologist Scales (Poseidon's Steed: The Story of Seahorses, from Myth to Reality, 2009) reinvigorates conchology and the lost art of seashell appreciation. Appalled that their reputation for enigmatic splendor as "glorious objects" has become tarnished, replaced with modern, kitschy "inelegant clutter" on counters and shelves, the author diligently explores the purpose and allure of seashells and introduces a selection of scientists and artists who study and create art from them. Uninterested in creating just another comprehensive shell guide, Scales skillfully focuses her narrative primarily on mollusks and how, living or dead, they connect with the human world. Through stories and personal experiences, beginning with her fascination with them as a girl on the beaches of Cornwall, England, and later, sea diving as an adult, she demonstrates her encyclopedic knowledge of Conchifera through absorbing chapters reaching back to the mollusk's primitive relatives: "all manner of shrimpy, crabby, wormy creatures that look very little like any living species" slithering across a Cambrian seabed. Scales spins spellbinding science throughout, introducing readers to carnivorous cone snails that spit out paralytic darts, the "vacancy chains" of hermit crabs, the lacquered luster of the prized cowry shell, and the fluttery sex lives of sea butterflies and bivalves. Astutely referencing the work of a variety of biologists, fishery scientists, and passionate beachcombers, Scales examines how these chalky exoskeletons and their spiraled patterns are strategically produced by their hosts, considers their symbolism, and ponders the mannerisms in which humans collect once-living objects: "They appeal to the hoarder in us all, the part of us that wants to have and keep things, especially those mementos that remind us of a different time and place." From a cautionary perspective, however, the author would prefer that admirers "resist temptation and leave them all alone." An enchanting, accessible tour of the seashell and its place and purpose within the natural world.

Kirkus Reviews