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Description
When a London scientist found a garden snail whose shell that spiraled left to right—opposite from others of its species—he sent it to the University of Nottingham for study. The snail’s internal organs were also arranged on the opposite side from other snails, including a heart on the right side of its body—a one-in-a-million condition known as situs inversus, which also occurs in humans. In explaining the snail’s story in terms of genetic evolution and biological reproduction, The Snail with the Right Heart also raises philosophical questions about the role of genetics, education, and personal choice in determining who we are, and about the ethics of accommodating and not accommodating genetic differences.
Publication Date
2023
Publisher
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children
City
Montclair
Keywords
philosophy for children, ethics, genetics, reproduction, science, science education, situs invertus
Disciplines
Animal Structures | Bioethics and Medical Ethics | Early Childhood Education | Education | Environmental Education | Philosophy
Recommended Citation
Gregory, Maughn, "The Snail with the Right Heart (2021) by Maria Popova" (2023). Picture Books. 25.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_thinkingstories_picturebooks/25
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Included in
Animal Structures Commons, Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Environmental Education Commons, Philosophy Commons