Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in the current issue of the Journal of Structural Biology: Elemental and chemical characterization of dolphin enamel and dentine using X-ray and Raman microanalyzes (Cetacea: Delphinoidea and Inioidea) Carolina Loch, Michael V. Swain, Sara Fraser, Keith C. Gordon, Jules A. Kieser and R. Ewan Fordyce doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2013.11.006 Volume 185, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages 58–68 Abstract Dolphins show increased tooth number and simplified tooth shape compared to most mammals, together with a simpler ultrastructural organization and less demanding biomechanical function. However, it is unknown if these factors are also reflected in the chemical composition of their teeth. Here, the bulk chemical composition and elemental distribution in enamel and dentine of extant dolphins were characterized and interpreted using X-ray and spectroscopy techniques. Teeth of 10 species of Delphinida were analyzed by WDX, EDX and Raman spectroscopy. For most of the species sampled, the mineral content was higher in enamel than in dentine, increasing from inner towards outer enamel. The transition from dentine to enamel was marked by an increase in concentration of the major components Ca and P, but also in Na and Cl. Mg decreased from dentine to enamel. Concentrations of Sr and F were often low and below detection limits, but F peaked at the outer enamel region for some species. Raman spectroscopy analyzes showed characteristics similar to carbonated hydroxyapatite, with the strongest peak for the phosphate stretching mode at 960–961 cm−1. Dentine samples revealed a higher diversity of peaks representative of organic components and proteins than enamel. The similar distribution pattern and small variation in average concentration of major and minor elements in dentine and enamel of dolphins suggest that they are subject to strong physiological control. A clear trend of the elemental variations for all dolphin species sampled suggests that the general pattern of tooth chemistry is conserved among the Mammalia. Full text is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1047847713003122 Or alternatively, a pdf can be requested at: carolina.loch@otago.ac.nz Best regards, ________________________________________ Carolina Loch Silva, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Sir John Walsh Research Institute Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago Dunedin 9054, New Zealand Phone: +(64) 03 479-5667 & Research Collaborator Geology Department, University of Otago and Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos UFSC Florianópolis, SC - Brasil http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/people/students/loch/index.html