Amorphous precursors to biomineral formation
Amorphous precursors to biomineral formation
Pupa Gilbert, University of Wisconsin
Date and time:
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 - 4:00pm
Refreshments at 3:40pm
Location:
ILS S131 - Refreshments in Hasbrouck Lobby
Category:
Departmental Colloquium
Abstract:
Biominerals include mollusk shells and the skeletons of algae, sponges, corals, sea urchins and most other animals. In this talk I will show synchrotron spectromicroscopy data revealing the existence of three distinct mineral phases in fresh, forming sea urchin biominerals, their spatial distribution with 20-nm resolution, and their phase transitions in space and time. The energetics of these phase transitions demonstrate that organisms learned how to harness thermodynamics to build faster, larger, crystalline skeletal elements for their evolutionary advantage.
Biominerals include mollusk shells and the skeletons of algae, sponges, corals, sea urchins and most other animals. In this talk I will show synchrotron spectromicroscopy data revealing the existence of three distinct mineral phases in fresh, forming sea urchin biominerals, their spatial distribution with 20-nm resolution, and their phase transitions in space and time. The energetics of these phase transitions demonstrate that organisms learned how to harness thermodynamics to build faster, larger, crystalline skeletal elements for their evolutionary advantage.
Department of Physics