Sea Worm Jaws Reveal 3,300-Test Bio-Metal With Copper-Like Hardness
Updated
Updated · New Scientist · Jul 15
Sea Worm Jaws Reveal 3,300-Test Bio-Metal With Copper-Like Hardness
3 articles · Updated · New Scientist · Jul 15
Summary
More than 3,300 indentation tests showed Perinereis cultrifera jaws behave mechanically like metals while staying exceptionally hard and lightweight, prompting researchers to classify the material as a “bio-metal.”
Christian Hellmich’s team found the millimetre-scale jaws combine proteins with zinc and other metal ions, producing hardness patterns typical of copper and silver but also an elasticity ordinary metals lack.
A new mathematical model suggests strain arranges metal ions into line-like microscopic defects, offering a mechanism for the jaws’ unusual mix of metal-like strength and biological flexibility.
The finding could guide lighter, tougher engineered materials for sectors such as autos and aeronautics, while the researchers are already probing which genes shape the jaws’ properties.