Looking at eggs differently makes them more than just tasty

Looking at eggs differently makes them much more than just tasty

Visualizing the hidden patterns of eggshells and measuring how light interacts with them can inform the design of UV-protective materials

The high energy of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation hurts; we’ve all suffered from sunburn after a sunny summer day. Many materials, including our skin, are UV-sensitive and needs to be protected from high sun exposure. This is also true for avian eggshells, as the developing embryo can be damaged by UV light. It has been speculated that the colours of eggshells can act as a sun barrier because the pigments can absorb UV light. But what about white eggshells that lack pigmentation?

Researchers, including scientists from the University of Akron and Hunter College of the City University of New York, have now published in Biology Open, an open access journal, that even though white eggs all look the same to humans, they actually vary in their UV reflectance. This new study shows that the cuticle, an outer layer that is present in some avian eggshells, absorbs UV light. This most outer layer has a different chemical composition than the rest of the eggshell, and includes chemicals like proteins and calcium phosphates that can selectively absorb UV light.

Eggshells are a great model system for inspiring innovative materials, because they are almost entirely made of calcium carbonate, a material that is totally harmless and naturally available in abundance. They are currently working on a follow up study to test if avian eggshells can indeed provide protection against UV damage. Next time you eat an egg, you might want to hold on to the eggshells.

ENDS

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