Bizarre & wonderful · Earlier selection
A snail shell preserves clues to two Australian cyclones
Researchers have used the growth bands in a snail shell to investigate how the animal responded to extreme rainfall.
The University of Queensland’s 14 September report links growth spurts with Cyclones Marcia in 2015 and Debbie in 2017. Radiocarbon dating helped establish when the snail lived, while isotope measurements provided rainfall clues. The findings suggest a possible tool for studying past weather, based on a specific shell study.
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University of Queensland ↗ (opens a new tab)Primary institutional report or research paper, independently condensed. Findings and proposals are attributed to the source, with their limitations; no source prose, charts or photography reproduced.
AI-assisted original summary, checked against the linked source on 20 Sept 2026, 01:33 BST. Illustration is AI generated and does not document the event.
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