Concluding remarks: Advanced imaging techniques in biomineralization research

Abstract

This Faraday Discussions meeting has shown that a wide range of physical techniques allows imaging biominerals whatever their size, mineralogy and complexity. These techniques cover an extensive spectral range from infrared to hard X-rays and enable the micro- and nano-structures of these exceptional biological materials to be described in great detail. All scales are covered, with numerous overlaps, from the millimetre to atomic scales. The next frontier will be to map in 3D the organic matrix components associated with biominerals in order to understand their function in biomineralization.