Scientists have discovered how mollusks learned to create silk threads

In doing so, the scientists pointed out that a different protein is synthesized in the legs of these mollusks, structurally resembling a coiled coil, but its structure is subsequently altered by mechanical stress and it becomes similar to the spider protein, helping the dreissenes to anchor themselves to the bottom.

Another discovery was that this protein appeared in Dreissenes thanks to bacteria. Scientists found out that about 12 million years ago the gene of this protein appeared in the DNA of these mollusks through horizontal transfer. As a rule, this mechanism is used to exchange genes between bacteria, but sometimes it is also used in plants and animals.