Multiscale hierarchical imaging of the spiraled structure of narwhal tusk

Narwhals are mysterious animals that have fascinated humankind since ancient times. They are known for their unique spiralled tusks, which made people believe in the existence of unicorns for centuries.

The up to 3 m long straight tusk displayed by males always has a left-hand spiral macrostructure, making it unique in the animal kingdom.

Very little is known about these fascinating animals, and the reason, origin and biological structure of their tusk is a great question mark among marine biologists and bio-material scientists.

In the proposed project, we will aim to reveal the hierarchical structure and biomineral characteristics of this unique biological material: their tusk.

For that purpose, we will employ a combination of recently developed 3D X-ray imaging techniques in a hierarchical approach, studying their nano, micro and macrostructure with X-ray computed tomography, X-ray diffraction and X-ray small angle X-ray scattering.

Novel imaging techniques using synchrotron radiation like tensor tomography will reveal the structural organization and anisotropy of the tusk building blocks, and diffraction computed tomography will provide very valuable information about the biomineral phase in the tusk and teeth.

The multi-length scale approach explained in this project will be a pioneer in the field and we expect to establish a new methodology for a more complete structural characterization of biological and composite materials.

All that will be implemented and developed in the 24 months of the project, which compiles 4 experiments in large-scale synchrotron facilities, data analysis strategies development and the establishment of a complete multiscale model of the narwhal tusk biological structure.