logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
41 m

Shells

COMPLEXLY
About this episode

From eggs to tacos to Ninja Turtles, some of the best things in life come in shells. So cozy on up inside the nearest conch as we regale you with tales of shells from all across the scientific spectrum!

SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode with the added bonus of seeing our faces! 

Head to www.patreon.com/SciShowTangents to find out how you can help support SciShow Tangents, and see all the cool perks you’ll get in return, like bonus episodes and a monthly newsletter!

And go to https://store.dftba.com/collections/scishow-tangents to buy your very own, genuine SciShow Tangents sticker!

Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! 

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @im_sam_schultz Hank: @hankgreen

[Trivia Question]

Golden ratio nautilus shells

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00004-018-0419-3

[Fact Off]

Batteries made from crab shells 

https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(22)00414-3

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220901135827.htm

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-future-of-renewable-energy-may-be-this-battery-made-from-crab-shells

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cycle-life

https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2023/march/crab-shells-could-help-power-the-next-generation-of-rechargeable-batteries.html

Microplastics and hermit crab shells

https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/hermit-crab-behaviour-affected-by-microplastics/

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0030

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32343937/

[Ask the Science Couch]

Mollusk shell development & secretion into spiral shapes

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-seashells-take-shape/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-are-seashells-created/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10126-005-6029-6

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0810311106

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-a-snails-shell-gets-its-twist

[Butt One More Thing]

Wood-boring bivalve that creates fecal chimneys

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-022-01306-z

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/blog/down-and-dirty-most-unusual-bivalve

Up next
Jul 11
Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 22
This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on December 23, 2022 titled "December Bonus Episode."Original Patreon description: Enjoy this cutting-room floor compilation of some tangents moments throughout the year.SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scis ... Show More
11m 26s
Jul 8
Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 21
This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on December 1, 2022 titled "November Bonus Episode."Original Patreon description: Our sound engineer Tuna joins the bonus pod this week as we rapid fire answer some of your burning questions. These answers are probably right...S ... Show More
27m 19s
Jul 4
Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 20
This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on October 29, 2022 titled "What the heck?"Original Patreon description: This bonus pod is Ceri's special game: Pattently Obvious. Watch along and see if you can guess what the patent is for!SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to ... Show More
25m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2019
Surprising Science of Glass (w/ Nick Uhas), Satellite Tethers, and Map Coloring Math
Learn about futuristic tethers that could help us stop making a mess in space; how we finally solved a deceptively simple mathematics mystery; and, the surprising science of glass, with special guest Nick Uhas.In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following sto ... Show More
10m 11s
Jan 2020
40: Split Brains
Have you ever wondered if there was more of one of you in there? Well, there kind of is. Join us as we explore the world of splitting brains and the corpus callosum... Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/SciGuys Watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/SciGuys References & Further Reading ... Show More
56m 46s
Aug 2022
Poop of Youth, Robot Roaches, Chatty Fungus
Learn about how we might be flushing the secret to anti-aging down the toilet, how cyborg cockroaches could save your life one day and how mushrooms may be talking to each other!The connection between poop and aging.“Fecal Transplants Reverse Hallmarks of Aging in the Gut, Eyes, ... Show More
14m 13s
Oct 2021
Blowhole Origins, Weather Manipulation, How to Slow Aging
Learn about how brushing your teeth can slow aging; how blowholes start as noses; and how humans manipulate the weather.Additional resources from Andrew Steele:Pick up "Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound. ... Show More
16m 13s
May 2024
149: OBITCH that'll make your tongue tingle!
Calling alllll Geoffs! This week Madison is putting us to bed with bed burials! But first Spencer is giving us an overdue lesson on autopsies. We’ve got an obituary for a girl who took snacking too far, one for a glam socialite and one self-written! We’ve also, of course, got som ... Show More
57m 15s
Aug 2023
What is silicone?
#166 At some point, silicone snuck onto the scene and found its way into many of our kitchens. It seems kinda like rubber, kinda like plastic, but somehow different. But how? Is silicone better, worse, or just different? What's going on at the molecular level, and can that tell u ... Show More
48m 28s
Jul 2023
What is jam? (and jelly and preserves etc.)
#087 Rebroadcast Jams, jellies, preserves, marmalade. So many kinds of fruit spreads, but how are they made? How do they go from fruit to gooey spread? How are they delicious? What the chemistry here, and how has it been going on long before we understood it? References from this ... Show More
38m 21s
Mar 2022
Praising Competitors, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, Rock Paper Scissors History
Learn about praising competitors; star stuff and gravity assists with the hosts of Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe; and the strange history rock paper scissors.Praising a competitor can lead to greater sales for brands by Steffie DruckerPraise that slays: How complimenting ... Show More
21m 35s
Mar 2024
It's Different This Time
It’s different this time, it really is. Most healthcare workers are either too busy to pay attention to what’s happening in AI today, or are stuck in the past and have only experienced low quality AI.In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss why this is a mistake.Healthcare work ... Show More
45m 18s
Jul 2023
What is rubber?
#164 Something some common and useful in our everyday lives, from gloves to toy balls, what even is rubber? What makes it rubber, and what makes it different and unique from other substances? Also, where does it come from? Let's find out. References from this episode https://www. ... Show More
45m 16s