PURPOSE To determine whether giant vacuoles form preferentially near collector channels or over regions of optically empty space within the juxtacanalicular tissue (JCT). METHODS To assess the relationship between giant vacuoles and collector channels, six eyes were perfused with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 20 mm Hg and then fixed by perfusion. Serial sections were cut in the frontal p...

Whether bones, teeth, or mother-of-pearl – evolution has always found ways to invent suitable materials for every task. This is also evidenced by otoconia: tiny crystals found in the inner ear, whose structure, formation and function are being investigated by Rüdiger Kniep, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden. Kniep’s research may also help in finding ...