Biological Hard Tissue
The most fascinating natural examples of nanocomposites are represented by so-called biominerals, acting as functional materials in living systems. In particular, apatite-organic (protein) nanocomposites are the main components of bone and teeth hard tissues of vertebrates (including humans).
Our contribution:
In order to get deeper insight into the basic principles of apatite-based biomineralization, especially with respect to evolutionary optimization during natural selection processes, a focus will be put on the detailed investigation of the hierarchical structure of the apatite-based dental (and dental-like) hard tissues of the elements of the feeding apparatus of conodonts (one of the earliest vertebrates 495–199.6 Ma) and cichlid fishes.