To develop next-generation lightweight, high-strength, and tough materials, new materials
design strategies must be established. Nacre, consisting of 95 vol.% inorganic plates …

There are over 62 different biominerals on Earth and a diverse array of organisms that
generate these biominerals for survival. This review will introduce the process of …

There has been much discussion of the role of proteins in the calcium carbonate
biomineralization process, particularly with regard to nucleation, amorphous stabilization …

Aragonite, a metastable crystal form of calcium carbonate, exhibits the highest density and
hardness among all species. Diversified forms of aragonite composites can be produced …

We present and fully characterize a flow cell dedicated to imaging in liquid at the nanoscale.
Its use as a routine sample environment for soft X-ray spectromicroscopy is demonstrated, in …

In the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, the formation and mineralization of
fracture-resistant skeletal elements such as the embryonic spicule require the combinatorial …

Over the last eight years new theories regarding nucleation, crystal growth, and
polymorphism have emerged. Many of these theories were developed in response to …

Inducible prey defences occur when organisms undergo plastic changes in phenotype to
reduce predation risk. When predation pressure varies persistently over space or time, such …

Materials composed of well‐defined mesoscale building blocks are ubiquitous in nature,
with noted ability to assemble into hierarchical structures possessing exceptional physical …

Understanding how ions, ion-clusters and particles behave in non-ideal environments is a
fundamental question concerning planetary to atomic scales. For biomineralization …