Calcium carbonate is the largest reservoir of carbon on the planet. It is found in rocks the world over, shells of both land- and water-dwelling creatures, and pearls, coral, marble and limestone.

Researchers used a powerful microscope that allows them to see the birth of calcium carbonate crystals in real time, giving them a peek at how different calcium carbonate crystals form. One of the ...

Blacksburg, Va., Nov. 9, 2000 -- From the familiar seashells and corals, to the microscopic plankton that live in ocean surface waters, the calcium carbonate skeletons produced by these organisms ...

This is calcium carbonate. So is this. And this, and this, and all of these. So, how does the same compound form so many wildly different crystal structures with wildly different properties? It's one ...

The presence of that protein makes calcium carbonate crystals form in a nanostructured pattern, rather than smooth and even crystal, study coauthor Marc McKee, a biomineralization researcher at ...

This is because proteins trapped within calcium carbonate crystals produce a compressive force inside the crystal structure. These forces are a combination of stress and strain.