How does crystallization occur in biological systems and how might it affect us or any cellular organism?

Answer 1

I can only think of one way in which biological systems are dramatically affected by crystallization. Winter.

Water freezes. Which wouldn't be so much of a problem if it didn't get BIGGER when it freezes. And to make matters worse, the crystals that spontaneously form below the freezing point tend to be all sharp and pointy. Perfect for shredding cells and tissue. And it does just that.

This is one reason why cryonics (freezing living things and bringing them back to life) has such difficulty. It's also a reason why most animals die if exposed to the elements in winter. And it's also a reason why meat tastes different after you store it in your freezer.

Various organisms that can't get out of the elements have developed different ways of dealing with this. Most of the ones we're familiar with just try to raise their metabolic rate so their body temperature never gets so low. Some trees deal with it by just removing most of the water from their tissues. There are other trees and some animals that survive sub-freezing temperatures by carefully preventing the occurance of nucleii that ice crystals can form around. This can be seen (albeit morbidly so) by introducing a nucleus, usually by injuring the organism - all the water will almost instantly freeze and pretty much explode the creature.

Of course we've got better ways yet - mittens and the like. Stay warm!