By using an innovative microscope, they were able to identify for the first time the process in which the seashell produces crystals used for vision, and discovered that it is similar to the process of the formation of freckles in humans
If you ever stare at a seashell, you should know that it stares back at you with more than 100 eyes. Scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have dived deep into the material that makes up the eyes of oysters, which are known to be extremely complex and sophisticated. By using an innovative microscope, they were able to identify for the first time the process in which the seashell produces crystals used for vision, and discovered that it is similar to the process of the formation of freckles in humans. The study was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications..
The oyster eyes are a masterpiece of biological crystallization. Thousands of thin square crystals create a concave mirror that reflects light onto the retina above it and they are what allow the oyster to see. Dr. Benjamin Palmer and the doctoral student Avital Wagner From the chemistry department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, they wanted to understand the formation process of the unique crystals in the eyes of oysters with the goal of one day producing similar crystals in the laboratory.
Palmer and Wagner were able to follow the crystal formation process using a new cryo-SEM microscope recently donated to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev by Nahum Guzik. The latest innovations in microscope technology allowed them to see the square crystals in their natural form, something that was impossible 50 years ago when research on oyster eyes began.
They found that the clams could direct the formation of the crystals to be extremely thin by using pre-assembled organic sheets. "This natural production far exceeds what chemists are currently able to produce in the laboratory," he explained Dr. Palmer, "but they provide intriguing strategies for controlling the properties of synthetic crystalline materials that may serve as future pigments that do not rely on chemicals, but on natural processes."
Furthermore, the researchers noticed that the process of producing the crystals is remarkably similar to the process of forming the melanin substance present in human freckles. "Our research is the first to link structural properties of biological crystallization and melanin production," he said Dr. Palmer. "It is likely that one common stem cell controls these two processes in very different animals."
The research group included: Alexander Opcher and Rachel Maria from the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Thorolf Magnsen from the University of Bergen, Einat Zelinger from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Gracia Raposo from the Curie Institute.
The research was supported by: ERC grant (number 852948). Dr. Palmer is the winner of Nachum Guzik's grant and the winner of the Azrieli scholarship for young faculty for 2019. Avital Wagner is the winner of the Azrieli scholarship for research students 2022/23.
Link to a tomography performed with a penetrating electron microscope (TEM) of an organ in which you can see a small crystal that is between two thin sheets. The video was taken with a Talos F200C microscope located at the Ilse Katz Institute for Science and Technology in the Nanoscale Field at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, by Alexander Opcher and Avital Wagner: https://imagelibrary.bgu.ac.il/pf.tlx/lSel3WlG4HXY
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