neural control of seashell shapes and pigmentation
This is really cool stuff:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402092714.htm
and preprint of actual paper here:
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~goster/pdfs/Shells.pdf
The brief version is that the shape and color of shells is controlled by the nervous system of the animal, rather than by some gene expression or similar as most animal body plan features. Interestingly, another example of this is that the shape of stags' antlers is also controlled by the nervous system, so even though the antlers are shed every year, they grow back with identical branching through memory.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402092714.htm
and preprint of actual paper here:
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~goster/pdfs/Shells.pdf
The brief version is that the shape and color of shells is controlled by the nervous system of the animal, rather than by some gene expression or similar as most animal body plan features. Interestingly, another example of this is that the shape of stags' antlers is also controlled by the nervous system, so even though the antlers are shed every year, they grow back with identical branching through memory.