Science & technology | Bivalve broadband

Heart-cockle shells may work like fibre-optic cables

Inbuilt lenses transmit sunlight to symbiotic algae

Photograph: Dakota McCoy

SLURPING OYSTERS from their shells may be a rare indulgence for humans, but these bivalve molluscs and their relatives, such as clams and mussels, slurp for a living. Most are filter feeders, ingesting microscopic organisms as well as debris from their aquatic environments. A handful of mollusc species, however, have formed symbiotic partnerships with algae that live within their tissues. These individuals augment their diet with sugars that their microscopic partners produce through photosynthesis.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Bivalve broadband”

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