DATE AND TIME: Thursday 30 November 2017 16:00 – 18:00
LOCATION: 1st Floor Library School of the Arts 19 Abercromby Square The University of Liverpool L69 7ZG
CHSSoHMT welcomes biominerals expert Professor Maggie Cusack and visual artist Rachel Duckhouse to discuss their Leverhulme funded project ‘Shell Meets Bone’,
Their research began with an ancient Mayan skull containing false teeth carved from an oyster shell. The shell teeth had been accepted by the jawbone and even caused new bone to grow. Their work is an in-depth study of the nano-architecture of nacre (mother of pearl) and uses electron microscopy to explore the mysterious patterns that induce human stem cells to produce bone.
Professor Maggie Cusack:
Maggie Cusack is Professor of Biomineralisation and Dean of Natural Sciences at the University of Stirling. Her biomineral research includes environmental aspects such as ocean acidification and climate proxies. In an MRC-funded project she investigated the response of human stem cells to nacre (mother of pearl) in bone formation.
Rachel Duckhouse:
Rachel Duckhouse is a visual artist based in Glasgow. She works in a range of media including drawing and printmaking, exploring the patterns and systems in nature and the built environment. She has undertaken several research based artist residencies in the UK and abroad and has exhibited work in the UK and internationally.
The Centre of Health, Medical and Environmental Humanities 