Lateef O. Saheed
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Lateef O. Saheed has a total of 19 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Alexander A. Venn
Department of Marine Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
1 shared publication Anders M. Larson
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
1 shared publicationBarat Q. Achinuq
Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
1 shared publicationBrynne E. Dixson-Kruijf
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
1 shared publicationChristian A. Waltenberg
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
1 shared publication- Eric Tambutté
Department of Marine Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 17 February 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 17 (1)
Exponential crystallization in corals
Corals form their reef-building aragonite (CaCO3) skeletons via transient precursor phases yet understanding of the dynamics of these early-stage transformations remains incomplete. Using time-independent myriad mapping (MM) at 50 nm resolution, we map five mineral phases near the skeleton surface of Stylophora pistillata corals grown in varying seawater pH. All precursors, crystalline and amorphous, exhibit a consistent exponential decay from the growth front, with a shared decay length of 0.7 ± 0.1 μm, independent of time, phase, or pH. This spatial decay, paired with the constant growth rate of the skeleton, reveals a decay time of 5.1 ± 0.5 minutes. The dominant precursor is not amorphous but crystalline: calcium carbonate hemihydrate (CCHH, CaCO₃·½H₂O). These results suggest that exponential crystallization kinetics govern coral biomineralization and may be a widespread feature in biogenic, geologic, and synthetic systems—traceable long after initial mineral deposition.
- 17 February 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 17 (1)
Open AccessExponential crystallization in corals
Corals form their reef-building aragonite (CaCO3) skeletons via transient precursor phases yet understanding of the dynamics of these early-stage transformations remains incomplete. Using time-independent myriad mapping (MM) at 50 nm resolution, we map five mineral phases near the skeleton surface of Stylophora pistillata corals grown in varying seawater pH. All precursors, crystalline and amorphous, exhibit a consistent exponential decay from the growth front, with a shared decay length of 0.7 ± 0.1 μm, independent of time, phase, or pH. This spatial decay, paired with the constant growth rate of the skeleton, reveals a decay time of 5.1 ± 0.5 minutes. The dominant precursor is not amorphous but crystalline: calcium carbonate hemihydrate (CCHH, CaCO₃·½H₂O). These results suggest that exponential crystallization kinetics govern coral biomineralization and may be a widespread feature in biogenic, geologic, and synthetic systems—traceable long after initial mineral deposition.