Shell Patterns and Colors Have Engineering Purposes

Aren’t seashells pretty? They often display a wide array of colors and unique patterns. However, it turns out those beautiful designs aren’t for display only. Scientists believe that mollusks use these patterns and colors as engineering blueprints. The design lets the animal figure out where to place their mantle, ensuring they grow their shell in the right spots.

People Used Seashells as Currency

Money is a universal need, even in the earliest days of human history. When the days of bartering were over, trade utilized rare and precious metals like gold or silver as currency. However, cowry shells were also a lucrative form of money as well. Cowry shells functioned as currency in places like China, India, and even in the Arabian peninsula. To this day, you can use cowry shells as money in Papua New Guinea. Only using them as a form of a nostalgic artifact, like a means of honoring their ancient customs.

Seashells as Instruments

Many places across the world, such as Japan and the Caribbean, use seashells for musical purposes. Perhaps the most popular instrument made from seashells is the conch. People also refer to it as a seashell horn. There are other instruments to try out, like seashell flutes from Japan or seashell ocarinas. There are indications that the first musical instruments may be seashells fashioned to blow musical notes.

Oldest Human Art

newer discoveries hint that Homo Sapiens were not the first ones to convey a sense of art on a wall or shell. A discovery in Indonesia focuses on a clamshell dating some 430,000 to 540,000 years ago. The amazing fact is that there are clear signs of “art” on the shell’s surface. Even more amazing is that it wasn’t a Homo Sapien responsible for the art; instead, scientists point out the art was by a member of the Homo Erectus species. Homo Erectus is an ancient ancestor to modern humans and this discovery hints that even ancient ancestors had some level of intelligence to convey art.