In its 534 illustrated pages the book contains an excellent set of 55 articles written by some of the main international researchers in the field of Biomineralization who attended the 9th International Symposium on Biomineralization held in Pucon, Chile in December 2005.
The papers reflect the truly multi-disciplinary approach needed to elucidate the underlying principles that govern the biomineralization phenomenon. The high quality of the articles make this book an exceptional referenced source in the field of mineralized tissues for senior researchers. Additionally, the book provides students, technicians, and young scientists a comprensive look into the very diverse and fascinating world of the biological formation or hard structures.
In fact, the biological challenge in to eliminate cations and prevent them for accumulating in the form of less soluble solid composite materials (teeth, bone, shells, spicules, carapaces, etc.) in order to move away from the Gibbs- Donnan equilibrium, and eventually, at least for a while, keep soft cellular structures alive.