Larry Beaver, age 13, of W. Gastonia, NC., for his question:

Does an animal live in the dead sea?

Thousands of years ago, the dead sea was inhabited by certain snails. The people of the city of Tyre used them to extract a purple dye. Cloths and fabrics colored with this famous tyrian purple were traded throughout the ancient world. But the salty dead sea became saltier, and eyen the hardy snails could no longer live in such a strong chemical bath.

Today, no fish or other animal can live in the salty salt water of the dead sea. The fish washed down by the River Jordan soon perish and float to the surface. And every year more chemicals are added to make the dead sea still saltier.