Organisms evolved the ability to shape crystals almost at will. How do cells manage to regulate these inorganic mineralization processes, surpassing the most sophisticated nanotechnological tools, when using very simple building blocks and at ambient conditions?
Liquid-liquid phase separation, a process that leads to the formation of dense cellular condensates, is revolutionizing cell biology. Do organic-inorganic condenstaes function as intermediate phases in biomineralization?
The developments in cryoEM enable the study of mineralization processes inside cells with nanometer scale resolution. Can we follow the formation of a crystal in situ? at the regulated nano-environment of the cell?
