During sea urchin embryogenesis, the skeleton is produced by primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs). PMCs undergo a sequence of morphogenetic behaviors that includes ingression, directed migration, and cell-cell fusion. Ultimately, PMCs deposit the calcite-containing biomineral that forms the endoskeleton of the late embryo and early larva. The endoskeleton has a stereotypical structure and is the maj...

Calcified coccolithophores generate calcium carbonate scales around their cell surface. In light of predicted climate change and the global carbon cycle, the biomineralization ability of coccoliths has received growing interest. However, the underlying biomineralization mechanism is not yet well understood; the lack of non-invasive characterizing tools to obtain molecular level information invo...

The marine coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan alga intensely studied in relation to global carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, marine ecology, and biomineralization processes. The biomineralization capabilities of coccolithophorids have attracted the attention of scientists interested in exploiting this ability for the development of materials science and biomedical and biotechno...

Electrical energy storage systems such as rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and supercapacitors have shown great promise as sustainable energy storage systems [1-4]. However, LiBs have high specific energy density (energy stored per unit mass) and act as slow, steady suppliers for large energy demands. In contrast, supercapacitors possess high specific power (energy transferred per unit...

Brachiopods are a lineage of invertebrates well known for the breadth and depth of their fossil record. Although the quality of this fossil record attracts the attention of paleontologists, geochemists, and paleoclimatologists, modern day brachiopods are also of interest to evolutionary biologists due to their potential to address a variety of questions ranging from developmental biology to bio...

Silicatein fusion proteins display comparable silica and ceria biomineralization capabilities regardless of partner or oligomerization status. Therefore, for scalable biomanufacturing, inherent properties the enzyme should be explored.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) sequester iron from the environment to biomineralize magnetite or greigite nanoparticles in magnetosome organelles, though necessity of intracellular storage for formation process is still question. Understanding role would make clear contribution MTB geochemical cycling and its potential importance during biosynthesis application-relevant magnetic nanoparticles. He...

Pseudohexagonal and single-crystal-like aragonite tablets, found in nacre, could be uniformly fabricated through a temperature-varying approach for the first time, indicating the triplet twinning nature and implying a potential significance in biomineralization.

Biofilm-mediated wastewater remediation has been developed as one of the most promising, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly technology it breaks down contaminants via biotransformation, bioaccumulation, biomineralization, biosorption.

Domestic pig molars provide an interesting system to study the biomineralization process. The large size, thick enamel and complex crown morphology make pig molars relatively similar to human molars. However, compared to human molars, pig molars develop considerably faster. Here we use microCT to image the developing pig molars and to decipher spatial patterns of biomineralization. We used mine...