#microcrystals

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Woitschikowski works only when he’s relaxed. “When you’re stressed,” he says, “you cannot see pictures,” such as this one of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C.

Crystalizing common chemicals

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER WOITSCHIKOWSKI

Polarized light gives microcrystals of liquid acetaminophen a three-dimensional effect.

[didanawisgi]

SEM of isolated pineal microcrystals on a Formvarcovered TEM grid. Three different crystal shapes were observed. a, cubic; b, hexagonal; c, cylindrical. & SEM photos of mulberry-like concretions in cryofractured pineal tissue. a, small concretions with lobes; b, large conglomerate. 

[kelemengabi]

Ascorbic Acid C vitamin

[valerievidalmedia]

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Like Magneto? Microcrystals give magnets superpower over living cells

New iron-rich protein crystals could help researchers better understand the nerve cells that control movement and sensation. All they need are magnets.

Imagine if you could control someone by using a magnet. It would be a bit like Magneto, the supervillain in X-Men. He can control anything magnetic. Even the iron inside someone’s body.

Controlling people with magnets sounds a little, well, wacky. But scientists have now done something close to that. They have engineered cells to make long, needle-like crystals rich in iron. Researchers can then use magnets to control cells containing these crystals.

Video recordings show these iron-rich crystals moving toward a strong magnet. The crystals pull the entire cell along with them.

“It’s almost alien,” says Bianxiao Cui. She’s a chemist at Stanford University in California.

Cui and her colleagues didn’t set out to give scientists superpowers like Magneto’s. Instead, their new protein crystals were designed to help scientists study which neurons control an animal’s movements and senses. The crystals provide something inside a cell that magnets can attract. This innovation fills a gap in the budding field of magnetogenetics (Mag-NEE-toh-jeh-NET-iks).

Scientists in this field genetically engineer cells so that they will respond to magnetic fields. Now researchers can remotely control specific neurons in the body using magnets. Those neurons could be ones that control how hungry an animal gets. Or they could be neurons that control leg muscles so a mouse starts running when a magnet is nearby.

[dragonfantasiessherryhumeart]

One of my favourite pieces - this is a beautiful specimen of Wavellite. 😊 💎💎💎💎💎💚💚💚💚💚💎💎💎💎💎💚💚💚💚💚#wavellite #crystals #crystalgems #allthatglitters #geologyrocks #green #lightgreen #mineral #specimen #geology #collection #mycollection #pretty #photography #radiating #spherical #microcrystals

[didanawisgi]

(PDF) Calcite Microcrystals in the Pineal Gland of the Human Brain: First Physical and Chemical Studies

PDF | A new form of biomineralization has been studied in the pineal gland of the human brain. It consists of small crystals that are less than 20... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Calcite Microcrystals in the Pineal Gland of the Human Brain: First Physical and Chemical Studies

A new form of biomineralization has been studied in the pineal gland of the human brain. It consists of small crystals that are less than 20 microm in length and that are completely distinct from the often observed mulberry-type hydroxyapatite concretions. A special procedure was developed for isolation of the crystals from the organic matter in the pineal gland. Cubic, hexagonal, and cylindrical morphologies have been identified using scanning electron microscopy. The crystal edges were sharp whereas their surfaces were very rough. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that the crystals contained only the elements calcium, carbon, and oxygen. Selected area electron diffraction and near infrared Raman spectroscopy established that the crystals were calcite. With the exception of the otoconia structure of the inner ear, this is the only known nonpathological occurrence of calcite in the human body. The calcite microcrystals are probably responsible for the previously observed second harmonic generation in pineal tissue sections. The complex texture structure of the microcrystals may lead to crystallographic symmetry breaking and possible piezoelectricity, as is the case with otoconia. It is believed that the presence of two different crystalline compounds in the pineal gland is biologically significant, suggesting two entirely different mechanisms of formation and biological functions. Studies directed toward the elucidation of the formation and functions, and possible nonthermal interaction with external electromagnetic fields are currently in progress.

[kelemengabi]

ascorbic