Scientists (click here) believe they may have found the strongest natural material known to man, one that could be copied to make the cars, boats and planes of the future - the teeth of the humble limpet.
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth examined the mechanics of limpet teeth by pulling them apart all the way down to the level of the atom. They found the teeth of the snail-like creatures, common to shorelines and rock pools around the world, is potentially stronger than what was previously thought to be the strongest biological material, the silk of a spider.
Scientists believe the structure could be reproduced in high-performance engineering, such as racing cars and in boat hulls.
"Nature
is a wonderful source of inspiration for structures that have excellent
mechanical properties," said Professor Asa Barber, who led the study....Previous to this investigation of Limpet teeth, the strongest design in nature was spider silk. The picture to the right are the spinnerets of a spider as they produce silk. And of course, silk is a protein.
By Tom Harris
...Scientists (click here) don't know exactly how spiders form silk, but they do have a basic idea of the spinning process. Spiders have special glands that secrete silk proteins (made up of chains of amino acids), which are dissolved in a water-based solution. The spider pushes the liquid solution through long ducts, leading to microscopic spigots on the spider's spinnerets. Spiders typically have two or three spinneret pairs, located at the rear of the abdomen....
