At the Cutting Edge

The ability of living systems to form many different minerals has attracted the attention of biologists and materials scientists alike for decades. But the field is still good for surprises. In their Perspective, Weiner and Addadi highlight the report by Lichteneggeret al., who show that the teeth of the marine bloodworm Glycera contain a copper mineral. This mineral, which may give the teeth of their worms their extraordinary resistance to abrasion, is the first copper mineral known to form under controlled conditions in an organism.