spirals in time: the secret life and curious afterlife of seashells  seashells are the sculpted homes of a remarkable group of animals: the molluscs. these are some of the most ancient and successful animals on the planet.<br /><br />but watch out. some molluscs can kill you if you eat them. some will kill you if you stand too close.<b> </b>that hasn&apos;t stopped people using shells in many ways over thousands of years. they became the first jewelry and oldest currencies; they&apos;ve been used as potent symbols of sex and death, prestige and war, not to mention a nutritious (and tasty) source of food. <br /> <br /> <i>spirals in time </i>is an exuberant aquatic romp, revealing amazing tales of these undersea marvels. helen scales leads us on a journey into their realm, as she goes in search of everything from snails that &apos;fly&apos; underwater on tiny wings to octopuses accused of stealing shells and giant mussels with golden beards that were supposedly the source of jason&apos;s golden fleece, and learns how shells have been exchanged for human lives, tapped for mind-bending drugs and inspired advances in medical technology. weaving through these stories are the remarkable animals that build them, creatures with fascinating tales to tell, a myriad of spiralling shells following just a few simple rules of mathematics and evolution.<br /> <br /> shells are also bellwethers of our impact on the natural world. some species have been overfished, others poisoned by polluted seas; perhaps most worryingly of all, molluscs are expected to fall victim to ocean acidification, a side-effect of climate change that may soon cause shells to simply melt away. but rather than dwelling on what we risk losing, <i>spirals in time</i> urges you to ponder how seashells can reconnect us with nature, and heal the rift between ourselves and the living world.