Spirals in Time

Seashells come from living things, you know. We know the shells, but not always the inhabitants. Note that the animals themselves are pictured in the beautiful cover of Helen Scales’ “Spirals in Time”. This may pull you into the book, but her gift for writing is just as pleasing. In every natural history told in this book, there is just as much about the original organism as there is the human relation. Black and white illustrations add another very nice touch, but the writing is so lucid that a mental image is already easily formed. Having read Anthony Doerr's “All the Light We Cannot See” and “The Shell Collector” I had some appreciation for seashells outside my preexisting fascination with biodiversity, but now  I will observe them with a new, broader perspective. And if John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts couldn’t explain to others why they were studying these creatures, Helen Scales sparks curiosity. She explains why, in addition to being cool and interesting, such research has bigger implications, and how it relates to humans.

One thing that's great about Helen Scales' writing is she tells you everything you need to know. Not a barrage of facts, she puts the scientific knowledge into a bigger picture. It is best to not get caught up on the taxonomy of where everything fits in, or even what each thing she mentions looks like; just go with the descriptions and stories and have fun. If you don’t have much background in chemistry (or marine biology), you can still get a good sense of the form and function being discussed. She does include a user-friendly glossary of mostly biological terms, and even more cool pictures. There are so many different kinds of stories here, but she writes in a well-edited way that flows and is easy to read. Best of all, she inspires a sense of wonder in biodiversity.

The second chapter goes through what might have given me the most food for thought: how shells are made. There is an incredible evolved neural system that also forms the colorful and intricate patterns, and the spiral is one that can grow and retain its shape. The thought experiment of imaginary museums is really cool, and if you like math, scientists (she provides good references, by the way) have worked out equations that near predict all the possible shells. And for all the modern science presented, there are some mini biographies of unsung heroes in early shell studies, whose work lives on in real museums. 

The author travels all over the world and has interesting, relevant stories from everywhere she goes. A Gambian women's collective for oyster harvesting is one example. Oysters are one of the very few foods I don't like, but wish I did. These smoked, locally harvested Gambian oysters sound appetizing, and their role in the local economy is even better to know about. Another stand-out is the golden sea-silk of Mediterranean Italy. The byssus of Noble Pen Shells seems to be the hairy substance they still weave, though it was unclear if the stuff is more like silk or wool. Turns out there is not much left anyway, as  harvesting is illegal, for the threat of extinction. If you want to learn more about sea-silk, the author suggests Project Sea-silk: www.muschelseide.ch/en .

The times are changing, and have been for a while now. How many books end with a discussion of climate change? Just think about that, as a sign of the scale of this issue. That said, ocean acidification is the particular sub-issue in focus here, as its effects are already reaching marine life. Sea butterflies are bioindicators, and their shells like so many others can deteriorate with changing conditions. But this book is not a downer – quite the opposite. Scales’ book of molluscs is a fun read, one worth combing through again for a deeper appreciation of these interesting creatures.

Note: this e-book was provided through Net Galley.