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Silica stories

De La Rocha, Christina LU and Conley, Daniel J. LU (2017)
Abstract

Do you know silica, the tetrahedra of silicon and oxygen constituting the crystals of New Agers and the desiccant in a box of new shoes? It’s no mere mundane mineral. As chemically reacting silicate rocks, silica set off the chain of events known as the origin of life. As biomineralized opal, it is the cell wall, skeleton, spicules, and scales of organisms ornamenting numerous lobes of the tree of life. Cryptocrystalline silica made into stone tools helped drive the evolution of our hands and our capability for complex grammar, music, and mathematics. As quartz crystals, silica is impressively electric and ubiquitous in modern technology (think sonar, radios, telephones, ultrasound, and cheap but precise watches). Silica is inescapable... (More)

Do you know silica, the tetrahedra of silicon and oxygen constituting the crystals of New Agers and the desiccant in a box of new shoes? It’s no mere mundane mineral. As chemically reacting silicate rocks, silica set off the chain of events known as the origin of life. As biomineralized opal, it is the cell wall, skeleton, spicules, and scales of organisms ornamenting numerous lobes of the tree of life. Cryptocrystalline silica made into stone tools helped drive the evolution of our hands and our capability for complex grammar, music, and mathematics. As quartz crystals, silica is impressively electric and ubiquitous in modern technology (think sonar, radios, telephones, ultrasound, and cheap but precise watches). Silica is inescapable when we take a drink or mow the lawn and it has already started to save the Earth from the carbon dioxide we’re spewing into the atmosphere. This book tells these scientific tales and more, to give dear, modest silica its due.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Biogeochemistry, Biomineralization, Crystals, Ecology, Human evolution
pages
201 pages
publisher
Springer International Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85034982171
ISBN
9783319540542
9783319540535
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-54054-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
703ef457-d001-4833-ac63-bd60a73034a8
date added to LUP
2017-12-08 14:55:25
date last changed
2024-03-01 11:31:08
@book{703ef457-d001-4833-ac63-bd60a73034a8,
  abstract     = {{<p>Do you know silica, the tetrahedra of silicon and oxygen constituting the crystals of New Agers and the desiccant in a box of new shoes? It’s no mere mundane mineral. As chemically reacting silicate rocks, silica set off the chain of events known as the origin of life. As biomineralized opal, it is the cell wall, skeleton, spicules, and scales of organisms ornamenting numerous lobes of the tree of life. Cryptocrystalline silica made into stone tools helped drive the evolution of our hands and our capability for complex grammar, music, and mathematics. As quartz crystals, silica is impressively electric and ubiquitous in modern technology (think sonar, radios, telephones, ultrasound, and cheap but precise watches). Silica is inescapable when we take a drink or mow the lawn and it has already started to save the Earth from the carbon dioxide we’re spewing into the atmosphere. This book tells these scientific tales and more, to give dear, modest silica its due.</p>}},
  author       = {{De La Rocha, Christina and Conley, Daniel J.}},
  isbn         = {{9783319540542}},
  keywords     = {{Biogeochemistry; Biomineralization; Crystals; Ecology; Human evolution}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Springer International Publishing}},
  title        = {{Silica stories}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54054-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-3-319-54054-2}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}