A researcher found a location in north Japan in 2023 where both left- and right-handed snails of a single species lived. Scientists from the U.K. and Japan said the mother’s hidden genes decide which way her snail baby spirals. This discovery showed how the myosin gene worked for these snails.

In 2023, after poring through photos posted online by hikers, a researcher found a location in north Japan where there were both left- and right-handed snails of a single species. Their shells also looked similar, suggesting the snails had interbred. This new population provided important clues about how the myosin gene worked

With a bit of penmanship, 'e' and '9' can be made to look like mirror images of each other. While the 'e' swings counter-clockwise, the '9' swings clockwise, written from top to bottom. Snails also can be similarly left- or right-handed depending on which way their shells coil.

But what decides which way the shell turns? Recently, scientists from the U.K. and Japan found the answer for Japanese Euhadra snails.