The Royal Society's journal Interface has published findings from engineers in the UK that have foudn that limpets' teeth consist of the strongest biological material every tested. This material is stronger than spider silk, previously thought to be the strongest biological material. The material that composes limpets' teeth is of the same strength no matter what their size. Limpets are snail-like creatures that are common to shorelines and rock pools around the world.
Scientists believe the structure could be reproduced for use in high-performance engineering applications such as Formula 1 racing cars, boat hulls and aircraft. Cars boats and planes of the future could be made of a synthetic version of this material.
Professor Asa Barber, who led the study, said: ''Nature is a wonderful source of inspiration for structures that have excellent mechanical properties. All the things we observe around us, such as trees, the shells of sea creatures and the limpet teeth studied in this work, have evolved to be effective at what they do. ''Until now we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything from bullet-proof vests to computer electronics, but now we have discovered that limpet teeth exhibit a strength that is potentially higher.''
