How Seashells Are Made

If you know that seashells are made of basically the same stuff as chalk, you might have wondered why chalk is crumbly but seashells are super tough. This week on Reactions, we explain: The secret’s in the biochemistry.

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Credits:
Producer: Sean Parsons
Writer: Alexa Billow
Scientific Consultants: Ingrid Weiss, PhD; Michelle Boucher, PhD
Executive Producer: George Zaidan
Fact Checkers: Alison Le
Music:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Sources:

Ever wonder why dogs sniff each others' butts? Or how Adderall works? Or whether it's OK to pee in the pool? We've got you covered: Reactions a web series about the chemistry that surrounds you every day.

Produced by the American Chemical Society.

[ACSReactions]

Calcite is more stable than aragonite. Aragonite is metastable, meaning it will slowly change to calcite over time -- much the same way a diamond will eventually become graphite.

[eastsupremekai]

Your video explains "what" seashells are made of, not "how"..

[Nada-ebbg]

Too much chemistry.... I just wanted to know HOW

[MrMrannoying]

Great video. My only critique is that this seemed more of a "What is a seashell, really?". I think a better way to focus it toward how they are made is to include where the calcium carbonate may come from in order for the creatures to put it to use

[MisogynyMan]

Great great, but how are seashells made?

[crazygenius]

Me : my friend is dying how do I stop her heart attack

Her: wElL WhEn tHe fLoW Of thE OxyGeN rIcH-BloOd iS BlOcKed

Me : kejadgnTDZWNhikoD Just stop shes dead already

[mtm]

This video should be called What Seashells are Made Of, not How Seashells are Made

[Nachteule]

Would love this video if I was a biology major, but now I must find a video of how seashells are made instead of what they're made of

[mtm]

But how are they made over time by the little squishy creature?

[IndoonaOceans]

Why are shells different shapes? What determines their geometry?

[Billyho-djrh]

Seashell chemistry sounds like it holds many discoveries to come, it seems like a great place to look having so many million years of evolution.

[davidwalker]

ive been collecting seashells for my collection is so big i keep them scattered on all the beaches around the world. If you've ever been to the coast you might have seen some of them

[heatherherrmann]

Woah! I love at the beach and I've never asked where they come from but I am sooo glad I Googled it after seeing a video on tiktok of a lady opening up some sort of pods and showing many baby seashells coming from them. Biological science is my favorite science ever so I'm definitely going to be doing more research on this topic because I am absolutely mind blown!

[RelivitMedia]

If there is a design, there is a designer. If there is a plan, there is a planner. And if there is a miracle, there is a God. We recently got back from the ocean. We often stepped on shells because there were so many. I didn't realize before watching this, while stepping on the shellls, how absolutely amazing and miraculous these creatures and their shells are. I know everybody has their own opinions and perspectives and I respect that. I'm not interested in arguing. But I am compelled to say that I definitely believe that there is a God... a designer and planner behind all of this. Sure, there are a lot of questions... and so much that we don't understand. But I believe it's hard to deny that these shells are put together with such intelligent design. Just something to ponder. I love science and technology and I think it's great that we're learning so much. It seems like the more that we learn about the world and universe around us, the more evolution seems to not be a very believable explanation for all of this. And again we're just talking about seashells. Check out a video on our eyes. It's overwhelmingly mind-boggling.

[anneburgess]

I have googled this many times and felt like I still didn't have an answer but this came close. Thank you👍

[hexakp]

If you know that seashells are made of basically the same stuff as chalk, you might have wondered why chalk is crumbly but seashells are super tough. This week on Reactions, we explain: The secret’s in the biochemistry.

[atdynax]

This video was more why you can't draw on the sidewalk with a seashell, instead of how the shell is made. Like how does the Bicarbonate get in the organism and converted into Calciumcarbonate?

[dellasuz]

i was collecting shells once and showed my dad one on the classic flat ones and he said, “i wonder what used to live in that one” and i just looked at him and said, “what” then realized that seashell don’t just appeared

[mohanrajsowndappan]

Wow such a good explained video, i really love how you explain it, so usefull video
And even if i am 5th standard i can understand what sea shells are made up of ....
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video 🤩🤩🤩

[hexakp]

SCP-173, also known as The Sculpture, is a creature from the SCP Foundation, a fictional organization that works to keep anomalous objects, places, and creatures secret from the rest of the world. SCP-173 is an animate statue made of concrete and rebar, painted with Krylon brand spray paint.