Sea snail teeth top Kevlar, titanium as strongest material (2015)

British researchers have discovered the world’s strongest biological material ever tested: sea snail teeth. Yep, you read that right. The super-strong structure of limpet teeth -- a shelled sea mollusc about 5 cm in length -- is so formidable that it could one day be mimicked and used in next-generation airplanes, racing cars and electronics. “They’re stronger than any man-made material, such as Kevlar fibres that are used in bullet-proof vests,” Asa Barber, the study’s lead author, tells As It Happens host Carol Off. A close-up of a limpet snail. (Photo courtesy of the University of Portsmouth) Barber says the teeth, which are about a millimetre in length, contain thin fibres of a mineral known as goethite. The limpet requires these strong teeth to feed, as they rasp over rock surfaces to scrape algae off the surface and into their mouths. Scanning electron micrograph of a limpet tooth. (Photo courtesy of University of Portsmouth) Spider silk was previously considered to be the ... Read full article.