Piranha have a well - earned report for being able-bodied and uncoerced to deplete just about anything in their way . One of the few elision is the Arapaima , a six - foot long , 300 - pound Amazonian predator with bony scale capable of withstand the toothy onrush . research worker are now working to conform the Arapaima ’s defense reaction to protect our own squishy bits .
You ’d think a Pisces the Fishes the sizing of an offensive linesman would be able to get by on bulk alone . But , during the wry season , Arapaima are forced to partake in dwindling pool with the voracious piranha . Its indestructible scale of measurement are what keep the Arapaima intact until the waters come up again .
Its scale are compose of a hard , corrugated kayoed layer over a pliant stratum of collagen . What ’s more , the fibers that make up the outer stratum are arranged in switch direction — like a parquet flooring . This leave the scales to turn as the Pisces the Fishes drown and spreads a piranha ’s bite force out over a larger area , preventing the piranha ’s teeth from penetrating .
Researchers from UC San Diego , lead by mechanically skillful and aerospace engineering science prof Marc Meyers , hope to reduplicate this “ hard on the outside , soft on the inner ” organisation to make bendable ceramics . Conventional ceramic are very laborious and quite durable but fall back that strength when force to swerve around an object . Corrugation earmark the shell to deflect without cracking .
“ The material that nature has at its disposal are not very strong , ” tell Meyers , “ but nature combines them in a very clever way to develop strong part and strong intention . ” The research squad hop to build up these long-lived - yet - conciliatory plates to one day replace the formal matte plating in soldier ’ body armour . [ UC San DiegoviaGizmag ]
PiranhaScience
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