Mother-of-pearl -- Classic beauty and remarkable strength (self-assembly or product of design?)

EurekAlert.org ^ | July 2, 2007

[GodGunsGuts]

MADISON -- While the shiny material of pearls and abalone shells has long been prized for its iridescence and aesthetic value in jewelry and decorations, scientists admire mother-of-pearl for other physical properties as well.

Also called nacre ("NAY-ker"), mother-of-pearl is 3,000 times more fracture-resistant than the mineral it is made of, aragonite, says Pupa Gilbert, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "You can go over it with a truck and not break it - you will crumble the outside [of the shell] but not the [nacre] inside. And we don't understand how it forms - that's why it's so fun to study."

...

"If you understand how it forms, you could think of reproducing it, producing a synthetic material that's inspired by nature - a so-called 'biomimetic' material," Gilbert explains. "If we learn how to harness the mechanism of formation, then we could, for example, produce cars that absorb all the energy at the impact point but do not fracture.

"But from my point of view, it's most interesting because of the fundamental mechanisms of how it forms - these natural self-assembly mechanisms we are only just beginning to understand."...

[GodGunsGuts]

A little commentary on the above article excerpted from CreationSafaris.com:

When a shepherd guides sheep into formation, is that self-assembly? When a drum major keeps a band marching in tight columns, is that self-assembly? How about when a ribosome directs amino acids into a protein? Self-assembly is a misnomer when there is an informed process directing elements into position. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

The article made no mention of how evolution could produce one of the most efficient mechanisms one could think of. Maybe it didn’t. That’s a starting point for a pearl of wisdom.

http://creationsafaris.com/crev200707.htm#20070705a

[GodGunsGuts]

ping

[svcw]

Oh, man I love these posts....get ready, get set......................

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[tacticalogic]

The article made no mention of how evolution could produce one of the most efficient mechanisms one could think of. Maybe it didn’t. That’s a starting point for a pearl of wisdom.

They'll all be pearls, and anyone who doesn't see them, swine.

[Stallone]

Mother of Pearl?

The Blackberry 7520 of course.

[-YYZ-]

In fact, the article made no mention of evolution at all, but apparently you are so obsessed by the subject that you’ve got to turn it into one. You’re not contending that God oversees the laying down of every molecule that makes up nacre, are you? The scientists are just investigating what exactly the process is that lays the stuff down.

[GodGunsGuts]

==In fact, the article made no mention of evolution at all

Nor did I. Gilbert laid down the gauntlet when she said, “But from my point of view, it’s most interesting because of the fundamental mechanisms of how it forms - these natural self-assembly mechanisms we are only just beginning to understand.”

She assumes that “one of the most efficient mechanisms you can think of” can be explained via self-assembly because a “mere 5 percent of abalone nacre is organic.” What we have here is a blatant case of misplaced emphasis. Rather than focusing on the inorganic (95%), she should instead be focusing on the critical ingredient (the organic 5%) that makes nacre (mother-of-pearl) “3,000 times more fracture-resistant than the mineral it is made of (argonite)”.

To my mind, this just goes to show the great gulf that exists between ID/CS and the Darwinian/materialist approach to science.

[tumblindice]

`The Iridescent Abalone Shells’ What a great name for a band.

Think you could make grips for a .45 Ruger out of them?
(Only if you are a pimp in a San Francisco bath-house?)

[GodGunsGuts]

You should patent that name and put it up for sale!

[tacticalogic]

Nor did I. Gilbert laid down the gauntlet when she said, “But from my point of view, it’s most interesting because of the fundamental mechanisms of how it forms - these natural self-assembly mechanisms we are only just beginning to understand.”

So every article that isn't about evolution/creation is a personal challenge to make it one?

[GodGunsGuts]

==So every article that isn’t about evolution/creation is a personal challenge to make it one?

I was simply pointing out how the researchers biases have lead her to ignore the most important aspect of what makes mother-of-pearl so beautiful and strong (hint: it’s inherent in the design of the abalone).

[tacticalogic]

I was simply pointing out how the researchers biases have lead her to ignore the most important aspect of what makes mother-of-pearl so beautiful and strong.

Yeah......

[RFC_Gal]

So you want scientists to, when faced with a problem that seems too hard, to punt and say God Did It?

[yahoo]

You can’t patent names. That’s why there are trademarks.