Multi-disciplinary approaches to understanding the life and death of amino acids in biominerals

Biominerals are key to preserving amino acids in the fossil record. A deeper investigation of the proteins offers the potential to expand our understanding of the mechanisms of biomineralization and the processes it involves. We are investigating the interaction of proteins with the inorganic skeleton of the biomineral by performing a range of experiments, including the growth of synthetic calcium carbonate crystals by incorporating amino acids and peptides into the inorganic framework. Combining these with the imaging of both the ultrastructure and the nanostructure of the biominerals will provide useful insights on the role played by proteins, applicable not only to protein geochronology but also to the process of biomineralisation itself.