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The word Byssus has two related meanings, and one rather different one, according to the context:
IN BIOLOGY: Byssus is the filaments created by numerous different kinds of marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks, by which they can attach themselves to hard substrates, or to the sea bed.
Families of bivalves that contain species which secrete a byssus include the Arcidae, Mytilidae, Anomiidae, Pinnidae, Pectinidae, Dreissenidae, Unionidae and others. In edible mussels the byssus is known as the "beard" of the mussel.
The word byssus is also commonly used specifically in reference to the exceptionally long, fine, silky threads secreted by the very large Mediterranean pen shell, Pinna nobilis. The byssus threads from this species of Pinna can be up to 6 cm in length and have historically been made into cloth, see below.
IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Byssus is an exceptionally fine and valuable fibre or cloth from ancient times, usually referred to as sea silk, which is made from the byssus of Pinna nobilis. The word byssus (as applied to byssus cloth) appears in the Greek text of the Rosetta Stone [1], although this may possibly be a reference to fine linen cloth.
IN BOTANY: Byssus is the rhizomorphs or grouped hyphae of certain fungi; these can physically resemble a bivalve byssus in form.1 [2]
This article is about the first two meanings of byssus.
Contents |
Derivation
The word byssus, plural "byssi", derives from the Hebrew būṣ 'fine linen,' Aramaic bus, Greek βύσσος – 'a very fine yellowish flax and the linen woven from it', Latin byssus – 'fine cotton or cotton stuff', 'silk' and via New Latin to 'sea silk'.2 3
Formation of byssus in mussels
Many species of mussels secrete byssus threads to attach themselves to rocks and other hard surfaces.
When a mussel's foot encounters a crevice, it creates a vacuum chamber by forcing out the air and arching up, similar to a plumber's plunger unclogging a drain. The byssus, made of keratin and other proteins, is spewed into this chamber in liquid form, and bubbles into a sticky foam. By curling its foot into a tube and pumping the foam, the mussel produces sticky threads about the size of a human hair. The mussel then varnishes the threads with another protein, resulting in an adhesive.
Byssus is a remarkable adhesive, one that is neither degraded nor deformed by water, as are synthetic adhesives. This property has spurred genetic engineers to insert mussel DNA into yeast cells for translating the genes into the appropriate proteins.
In edible mussels, the byssus is commonly known as the "beard". It is inedible, and is removed before cooking.
Footnotes
- ^ The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary: complete text reproduced micrographically. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. 1987, p. 1239.
- ^ The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary: complete text reproduced micrographically. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. 1987, p. 1239.
- ^ Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged) 1976. G. & C. Merriam Co., p. 307
References
- Ecsedy, Hilda 1975. "Böz – An Exotic Cloth in the Chinese Imperial Court." Hilda Ecsedy. Altorientalische Forschungen 3: pp. 145-153.
- Starr, Cecie and Taggart, Ralph. Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc., 2004.
- Hill, John E. 2003. The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. A draft annotated translation from the Hou Hanshu - see Section 12 and note 15 plus Appendix B. [3]
- Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West. A draft annotated translation of the 3rd century Weilüe - see Section 12 of the text and Appendix D. [4]
- McKinley, Daniel L. 1988. "Pinna and Her Silken Beard: A Foray Into Historical Misappropriations". Ars Textrina: A Journal of Textiles and Costumes, Vol. Twenty-nine, June, 1998, Winnipeg, Canada. Pp. 9-223.
- Maeder, Felicitas 2002. "The project Sea-silk – Rediscovering an Ancient Textile Material." Archaeological Textiles Newsletter, Number 35, Autumn 2002, pp. 8-11.
- Maeder, Felicitas, Hänggi, Ambros and Wunderlin, Dominik, Eds. 2004. Bisso marino : Fili d’oro dal fondo del mare – Muschelseide : Goldene Fäden vom Meeresgrund. Naturhistoriches Museum and Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland. (In Italian and German).
- Turner, Ruth D. and Rosewater, Joseph 1958. "The Family Pinnidae in the Western Atlantic" Johnsonia, Vol. 3 No. 38, June 28, 1958, pp. 285-326.
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- This page was last modified on 30 December 2008, at 08:59.
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