Microscopy Bone.
basic knowledge on Cancellous bone
Cancellous bone is the spongy interior layer of bone that protects the bone marrow. Cancellous bone may also be called a spongy bone or trabecular bone. It structurally resembles honeycomb and accounts for about 20% of bone matter in the human body.
Cancellous bone is often also found on the edges of rounded bones like those of the arms and legs. Though this bone is not quite as strong as compact bone, it is somewhat more flexible and is useful in bones that are jointed. Primarily, however, cancellous bone protects the bone marrow, performing a useful and necessary task in the body.
Some conditions can affect the cancellous bone in a person’s body. Those with osteoporosis may have less cancellous bone than is normal. Since much of the cancellous bone is found in bones in the pelvis and spine, lack of cancellous bone is indicated in significant risk.
A broken pelvis can result in inappropriate blood clotting or bleeding because so many tiny arteries are attached to the pelvis. A broken spine is even more significant. It can lead in some cases to minor or major paralysis depending upon location and severity of the break.
Studies suggest that simple aging slightly changes cancellous bone, making it less complex as people age. Since the bone lacks some of its “spongy” quality in those who are over 50, it may be indicated in more breakages even when major osteoporosis is not present. Cancellous bone also does not regenerate as easily or as quickly in those over 50, especially in women. For those older than 50, they may experience much longer healing times for breakages that reach to the cancellous bone.
Some other conditions may affect cancellous bone and compact bone. These include low thyroid conditions, lack of appropriate hormones after menopause or hysterectomy. Brittle bone syndrome can significantly affect both cancellous bone and compact bone. Malnutrition can lead to poor bone structure and bone development, and alcoholism predisposes one toward osteoporosis as well.
To protect bone growth, medical researchers recommend treating underlying conditions where possible, maintaining an active lifestyle, refraining from too much alcohol and taking daily calcium supplementation.
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Just ran across this blog after searching for microscopic images of bone. Actually I was searching for them for similar interests you have, as inspiration for structural designs. I think that there is something to be learned from bone matter for the fields of structural architecture, etc. Seems the way we model structural strength is really quite limited and pedestrian. Most of our models come from an era where very complex structures similar to bone were intractable. Today we can have very complex and variegated structures and know their structural tendencies with good precision(enough to warrant construction of major projects).
ReplyDeleteI intuitively think that mimicking the properties of bone may give us stronger structures without as much weight or material costs AND something that is extensible and scalable. Just an offhand thought, I'm not an architect by trade but well versed in mathematics. I just seems to me that the traditional I-beam steel frame we use for modern skyscrapers is so limiting given what we now know.
I'm interested to know where I would find works about how to model structural properties similar to bone at the microscopic level? I guess there was B. Fuller of course, and maybe Kermit Snelson?
also: what 3d model software do you use? Solidworks?
excuse me, that's Kenneth Snelson, not Kermit Snelson.
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