Nautilus Siphuncle, Sem #1

by Eye Of Science

Title

Nautilus Siphuncle, Sem #1

Artist

Eye Of Science

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the broken shell of a nautilus, showing the siphuncle, a strand of tissue that passes longitudinally through the nacreous shell. It is used primarily in emptying water from new chambers as the shell grows. Nacre (mother-of-pearl) has long been known as an interesting biogenic material. It is composed of hexagonal platelets of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate) 10–20 µm wide and 0.5 µm thick arranged in a continuous parallel lamina. These layers are separated by sheets of organic matrix composed of elastic biopolymers (such as chitin, lustrin and silk-like proteins). This mixture of brittle platelets and the thin layers of elastic biopolymers makes the material strong and resilient. Nacre appears iridescent because the thickness of the aragonite platelets is close to the wavelength of visible light. Magnification is 150x at 15x12cm image size.

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May 19th, 2021

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