Shells and Cells

Glimmering on the inside of oyster and mussel shells, mother of pearl, or nacre, has a secret – it encourages human bones to grow. The Mayans used nacre for dental implants, and modern day lab tests confirm its astonishing properties – but how does it work? Here, a black and white sketch picks out the repeating patterns found under a high-powered microscope. Researchers know nacre’s layers build up over time, developing in 'controlled disorder’ – they believe this is the key. Nacre’s patterns form a natural biomaterial, acting as a precise scaffold for developing bone. On tracing paper resting over the sketch, blue dots show a grid of nano pits – an artificial design, inspired by nacre’s natural example, that could help mesenchymal stem cells to develop into new bone. It just goes to show, interesting things happen when surprising ideas meet – such as art meeting science at the place where shell meets bone.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image by Rachel Duckhouse
• Research from Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow and Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, UK
• Image copyright held by the artist
• Research published in ACS Nano, June 2017