CEAC-2020-11-November

for safety, said Po-Yu Chen, an engineer at Taiwan’s National
Tsing Hua University not involved in the research.
The beetle study is part of an $8 million project funded by
the U.S. Air Force to explore how the biology of creatures
such as mantis shrimp and bighorn sheep could help develop
impact-resistant materials.
“We’re trying to go beyond what nature has done,” said
study co-author David Kisailus, a materials scientist and engineer
at the University of California, Irvine.
The research is the latest effort to borrow from the natural
world to solve human problems, said Brown University evolutionary
biologist Colin Donihue, who was not involved in
the study. Velcro, for example, was inspired by the hook-like
structure of plant burrs. Artificial adhesives took a page from
super-clingy gecko feet.
Donihue said endless other traits found in nature could offer
insight: “These are adaptations that have evolved over millennia.”
In this photo provided by the University of California, Irvine, a cross section
of the medial suture, where two halves of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s
elytra meet, shows the puzzle piece configuration that’s among the keys to
the insect’s incredible durability. Scientists say the armor of the seemingly
indestructible beetle could offer clues for designing stronger planes and
buildings. In a study published Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in the journal
Nature, a group of scientists explains why the beetle is so squash-resistant.
(Jesus Rivera, Kisailus Biomimetics and Nanostructured Materials Lab, University
of California Irvine via AP)
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