Abstract
IF a cell which is topologically a sphere is covered with a coat composed of identical units arranged to form a surface crystal, this crystal necessarily1 contains screw disclinations of total strength +2 complete rotations. Harris and Scriven2 draw attention to the micrograph of a marine bacterium, Nitrosomonas, published by Watson and Remsen3, on the cover of Science, showing a coat of apparently spherical units in close packing. They say that intrinsic disclinations are strongly indicated. We have undertaken further analysis of the disclination structure of this coat.
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References
Harris, W. F., in Fundamental Aspects of Dislocation Theory (edit. by Simmons, J. A., et al.) (National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC, in the press).
Harris, W. F., and Scriven, L. E., J. Appl. Phys. (in the press).
Watson, S. W., and Remsen, C. C., Science, 163, 685 (1969).
Harris, W. F., and Scriven, L. E., Nature, 228, 827 (1970).
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NABARRO, F., HARRIS, W. Presence and Function of Disclinations in Surface Coats of Unicellular Organisms. Nature 232, 423 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/232423a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/232423a0
