Unanswered Questions in the Evolution of Biomineralisation

Organisms have been building hard parts since the Late Precambrian. In fact representatives of all Kingdoms are able to biomineralise in the form of granules, plates, tubes, shells, bones or teeth. Biomineralised structures are mainly compos- ites consisting of a mineralised component dispersed in an organic matrix and show an extraordinary diversity of microstructural arrangements and combinations. This wealth of diversity has stimulated a huge amount of interest and research, attracting the attention of biologists, materials scientists, archaeologists and palaeontologists and is increasingly using highly sophisticated techniques and interdisciplinary research to delve into the intricacies (e.g. DiMasi and Gower 2014)