Crossing the shell-bone divide

生命系统产生贝壳或骨骼等矿物结构。贝壳通常由碳酸钙组成，骨骼由磷酸钙组成。生物矿物科学家倾向于研究贝壳或骨骼。该项目将使用一种技术来识别贝壳内晶体的方向，并将其应用于骨骼。这将有助于我们了解健康和患病的骨骼，并评估当前骨病治疗的成功。该项目还将继续进行碳酸钙刺激骨细胞生骨的有趣观察。通过了解碳酸钙结构的哪些方面是刺激骨生成所必需的，就可以设计出有效的骨再生植入物。

Living systems produce mineral structures such as shells or skeletons. Shells are usually composed of calcium carbonate and bones are made of calcium phosphate. Biomineral scientists tend to work on shells or bones. This project will use a technique that identifies the directions of the crystals within shells and apply it to bone. This will help our understanding of healthy and diseased bone and also assess the success of current bone disease therapies. This project will also pursue the interesting observation that calcium carbonate stimulates bone cells to produce bone. By understanding which aspects of the calcium carbonate structure are required to stimulate bone production, effective bone regenerative implants can be designed.