EVENT: Annual meeting of the American Malacological Society (an international association of biologists who study mollusks, such as snails, mussels and squid)

PLACE: University of Michigan Ruthven Museum Building and rooms 1200 and 1210, Chemistry Building. Map of central campus: http://www.umich.edu/news/ccamp.html. PLEASE NOTE: Registration required; registration fee waived for press with ID.

SPONSOR: University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

WEB LINKS: For details about the meeting, see www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/mollusks/ams/; for more information on the American Malacological Society, see http://data.acnatsci.org/ams/

Milking Marine Snails—Many marine mollusks defend themselves with noxious chemicals that people have used as dyes since ancient times. Two Mexican biologists will present their model for sustainably harvesting dye by “milking” the secretions of one type of snail.

Lifesaving Killer Snails—The potent nerve toxins that cone snails use to capture their prey are being explored for medical and pharmacological purposes, such as painkillers and treatments for neurological disorders. Three of the world’s top cone snail experts will present updates of their research.

Today the Zebra Mussel, Tomorrow the Golden Mussel?—Just as the zebra mussel has wreaked havoc on Great Lakes ecosystems, an Asian species called the golden mussel has rapidly spread through Argentina and neighboring countries. Within a matter of decades, both mussels could be found throughout North and South America, researchers predict. North American zebra mussel experts will compare notes with an Argentine expert on the South American golden mussel invasion, in hopes of combating the further spread of both.

Saving Tahitian Land Snails: The Michigan Connection—Introduced to many South Pacific islands in the 1970s in a biological control experiment that went awry, the predaceous rosy wolf snail has driven large numbers of native land snail species to extinction. Some, however, have been rescued and are maintained in zoos, including the Detroit Zoo. Museum specimens collected U-M researcher John (Jack) B. Burch in 1970 are being used to generate DNA sequence data that may aid in conservation and rehabilitation efforts.

Frederick Stearns: Medicine, Music and Mollusks—19th Century Detroit businessman Frederick Stearns, founder of the nation’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing company, donated his historically important collection of musical instruments to U-M in 1899. He also was an avid collector of Japanese shells, and his collection resides in Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. One speaker will give a biographical overview of Stearns. 

Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan