#internal organs
Snail shells offer clues to the origin of body asymmetry
Researchers have discovered a gene in snails that determines whether their shells twist clockwise or anticlockwise.
The discovery could offer clues to how the same gene affects body asymmetry in other animals including humans.
While animals tend to be symmetrical on the outside, they’re almost entirely asymmetrical on the inside.
The findings are an important step in understanding how our organs are placed asymmetrically, and why this process can sometimes go wrong when some (or all) of the internal organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal placement.
Image credit: Claude & Amadine EVA
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