Biomineralization: An Engineering Masterpiece – ICR.org

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“One more example of a marvel of design in nature. Such precision could hardly be the product of random chance.”  Admin

Computerized tomography (CT) scans use computing power to compile two-dimensional X-ray images into a three-dimensional view, and researchers are optimistic that a new form of high-resolution CT scanning at the molecular level will give “scientists precious new information about how Mother Nature forms shells, bones, and other hard structures.”1 They hope to learn how to mimic the strength of these natural structures in the manufacture of similar man-made materials.

Like the metal rods (rebar) that are embedded in a concrete matrix to strengthen roadways, the bones and shells of living creatures have protein fibers embedded in mineral matrixes. Minerals manufactured by living organisms, a process called biomineralization, show ingenious construction, such that “even the simplest bio-induced structures are currently impossible to synthesize.”2 They are so difficult to reproduce because of their small sizes and precise, complex forms.

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