Altered precipitation patterns due to climate change are likely impose water-deficit stress in plants resulting changes specific leaf mass, water content and chemical defences that may impact herbivorous arthropods. Grasses, particular, accumulate large concentrations of silicon (Si) which provides physical defence against herbivores. Although Si uptake by be affected availability, very few stu...

A simple process to achieve patterned silica films is described. The patterning of the catalyst poly-L-lysine via photolithography and liftoff enables the spatial and geometrical control of silicification. Microscopy and chemical characterization demonstrate that this process enables consistent patterning of silica with 10 mm resolution in a variety of geometries. In addition, the spatial and g...

Silica deposition by diatoms, a common component of the phytoplankton, has attracted considerable interest given the importance in ecology and materials science. There has recently been a great deal of research into the biological control of biosilicifcation, yet the in vivo physical and chemical effects have not been quantitatively investigated. We have grown the marine diatom Thalassiosira ps...

Diatoms are an important group of eukaryotic algae with a curious evolutionary innovation: they sheath themselves in a cell wall made largely of silica. The cellular machinery responsible for silicification includes a family of membrane permeases that recognize and actively transport the soluble precursor of biosilica, silicic acid. However, the molecular basis of silicic acid transport remains...

Biomineralization by marine phytoplankton, such as the silicifying diatoms and calcifying coccolithophores, plays an important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in the oceans. Silicification and calcification are distinct cellular processes with no known common mechanisms. It is thought that coccolithophores are able to outcompete diatoms in Si-depleted waters, which can contribute to the for...

The TCG consists of a basal pebble-conglomerate with distinctive black chert clasts overlain by sandstones interlayered with white-purple volcanic ash. All lithologies have experience an episode of post-deposition silicification. Petrographic analysis reveals sandstones are compositionally mature with high abundances of quartz and minor amounts of feldspar and muscovite or biotite mica. Most gr...

Although deemed a "non-essential" mineral nutrient, silicon (Si) is clearly beneficial to plant growth and development, particularly under stress conditions, including salinity and drought. Here, we review recent research on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying Si-induced alleviation of osmotic and ionic stresses associated with salinity and drought. We distinguis...

Structural preservation of complex biological systems from the subcellular to whole organism level in robust forms, enabling dissection and imaging while preserving 3D context, represents an enduring grand challenge in biology. Here we report a simple immersion method for structurally preserving intact organisms via conformal stabilization within silica. This self-limiting process, which we ref...

This study deals with application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) on grade control at mine sites inputting both geological and geotechnical variables. Case study is Chapada copper-gold deposit (Goiás, Brazil), located in the neoproterozoic Chapada-Mara Rosa volcano-sedimentary sequence. Ore is closely related to hydrothermal alteration, structurally controlled. The geological and geotechni...