video: Sea urchins and mollusks form skeletal components from single crystals of calcite, the mineral that makes up limestone. This image (movie) shows the 3-D nanoscale structure of the inside of a synthetic calcite crystal, which was grown in an agarose gel, similar in consistency to Jell-O® (agarose is related to the common food additive agar). When grown in a gel environment, the crystal incorporates the polymeric fibers. This structure gives us insight into the formation of single crystals by biological organisms. This video relates to an article that appeared in the Nov. 27 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. H. Li of the Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and colleagues, was titled, "Visualizing the 3-D Internal Structure of Calcite Single Crystals Grown in Agarose Hydrogels.” view more
Credit: Videos courtesy of the Estroff and Mullwe labs at Cornell University