About this episode
<p>In this episode, we consider a creature we often don’t think much about—the snail. And not just snails, but their sex lives. Which, as it turns out, is epic. There is persuasion and subterfuge, spaghetti penises and co-copulation. And this very surprising habit—erm kink—of making tiny arrows (actually!) and stabbing each other with them. Known as a “love dart,” these limestone daggers aren’t just a strange trick of nature—they have a deep evolutionary purpose. </p> <p><i>Special thanks to Menno Schilthuizen and Aaron Chase.</i><br><br><strong>EPISODE CREDITS: </strong><br> Hosted by - Molly Webster<br> Reported by - Molly Webster<br> Produced by - Mona Madgavkar, Annie McEwen, Molly Webster<br> Sound design contributed by - Mona Madgavkar, Annie McEwen<br> Fact-checking by - Diane A. Kelly<br> and Edited by - Alex Neason</p> <p><strong>EPISODE CITATIONS:</strong><br><br> Videos - <br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WilSnail/videos/love-dart-being-placed/1017353415760769/" rel="noopener noreferrer">A love dart being DARTED!</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/rYhLwXhaxQQP" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/rYhLwXhaxQQP</a>) – Molly has watched this video so many times<br><br> Articles - </p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.jkoene.dds.nl/publications/Koene_&_Chase_1998b.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Changes in the reproductive system of the snail Helix aspersa caused by mucus from the love dart.</i></a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/xxjuCcTyiVJV" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/xxjuCcTyiVJV</a>) by Koene JM, Chase R. J Exp Biol.</li> <li><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1560308/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>The snail's love-dart delivers mucus to increase paternity.</i></a><i> </i>By Chase R, Blanchard KC. Proc Biol Sci.</li> <li><a href="https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcseriesblog/2016/05/13/love-dart-heart-sexual-conflict-snails/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>A love-dart at the heart of sexual conflict in snails</i></a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/X2ANHPaEg5sr" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/X2ANHPaEg5sr</a>) by Foote C <br> ** This article has an image of eight different love darts, and it’s what Molly shows to Soren in the episode (this image is one of her favorite research finds!) </li> </ul> <p>Books - <br> “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313172/natures-nether-regions-by-menno-schilthuizen/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature’s Nether Regions: What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves</a>” (<a href="https://zpr.io/ktMvJbZciCdD" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/ktMvJbZciCdD</a>) by evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen.</p> <p><i>Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. </i><a href="https://radiolab.org/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Sign up</i></a><i> (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!</i></p> <p><i>Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of </i><a href="http://members.radiolab.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>The Lab</i></a><i> (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.</i></p> <p><i>Follow our show on </i><a href="http://instagram.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Instagram</i></a><i>, </i><a href="http://twitter.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Twitter</i></a><i> and </i><a href="http://facebook.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Facebook</i></a><i> @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing </i><a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>radiolab@wnyc.org</i></a><i>.</i></p> <p><i>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.</i></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>