Overview

A large variety of organisms - from bacteria to man - form minerals. Skeletons, teeth, spicules, spines, shells, darts, and granules are all mineral-containing tissues.Why, where, and how these minerals form are the central questions addressed in this book. These questions have become important in many fields. Preserved fossils are used to interpret ancient climates, changes in chemical composition of the oceans, or to date geological and archaeological deposits and artefacts. Materials scientists investigate mineralized tissues to try to determine the design principles used by organisms to form strong materials, and many medical problems are associated with normal and pathological mineralization. Heinz Lowenstam, the pioneering researcher in biomineralization, and his former student Stephen Weiner discuss the basic principles of mineral formation by organisms, and compare the various mineralization processes. Reference tables list all known cases in which organisms form minerals.

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9780195049770

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Reviews

Remarkably readable . . . . The ability of organisms to mould the form of minerals coming out of solution is at times almost literally incredible. I found myself turning the pages with rather naive excitement, wondering 'whatever next?' --Nature<br> Lowenstam and Weiner's book will be an excellent source on biomineralization for researchers in a variety of areas. The material is organized effectively along both biological (phyla) and functional lines. The basic format is that of a major review article, with liberal use of references to original literature. Much of the pertinent data is organized into tables, and extensive use is made of electron micrographs and line drawings . . . . The style of the book is consistently readable, and the text, photographs, and drawings are well produced. The volume will be of primary use to graduate and research libraries in biology, medicine, and geology, and will be of limited use to undergraduates. --Choice<br> Chapters 2 and 3 . . . . along with the three final chapters, on nonskeletal functions in biomineralization, and the evolution of biomineralization, are worth the price of the book by themselves. The authors give the most coherent analysis of the evolutionary development of biominerals this reviewer has ever had the pleasure to read. The intervening chapters on the specific systems are well done and beautifully illustrated. --Science<br> The mineral kingdom shares with the living ones a frontier more convoluted than any road that winds across the mountains of Transylvania. In this comprehensive yet compact volume, two investigators....present a wide view of the tangled discipline. --Scientific American<br> This excellent book, by two of the most prominent workers in the field, details the processes and products of biomineralization of living and fossil organisms . . . . There is a wealth of new and newly synthesized information, including dozens of previously unpublished scanning electron micrographs . . . . This lucid and remarkably wide-ranging volume will provide a fine basis for the work to come. --Journal of Geology<br> The early record of life on Earth cannot be deciphered and understood without a good, probably much better than currently possible, grasp of the workings of biologically induced and biologically controlled mineralization . . . . Paleontologists should therefore be particularly grateful to Heinz Lowenstam and Stephen Weiner for undertaking the task of providing us with a full-blown monograph of the subject, covering the whole scope of the field and supplying, almost en passant, a bibliography of more than a thousand references . . . . a very broad perspective on the biological use of mineral substances, both crystalline and amorphous . . . . excellent and really indispensable for the paleontologist. --Palaontologie<br> Provides an excellent introduction to the many aspects of the field, with extensive references to the literature. The text is generally very readable, with a smooth flow of words, and not excessively formal. Throughout the work the enthusiasm of the authors and their fascination with the topic shine through. Line drawings and photographs are well reproduced. The book is well bound and shouls survive frequent use. --Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology<br>

<br> Remarkably readable . . . . The ability of organisms to mould the form of minerals coming out of solution is at times almost literally incredible. I found myself turning the pages with rather naive excitement, wondering 'whatever next?' --Nature<br> Lowenstam and Weiner's book will be an excellent source on biomineralization for researchers in a variety of areas. The material is organized effectively along both biological (phyla) and functional lines. The basic format is that of a major review article, with liberal use of references to original literature. Much of the pertinent data is organized into tables, and extensive use is made of electron micrographs and line drawings . . . . The style of the book is consistently readable, and the text, photographs, and drawings are well produced. The volume will be of primary use to graduate and research libraries in biology, medicine, and geology, and will be of limited use to undergraduates. --Choice<br> Chapters 2 and 3 . . . . along

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