Physicists from Austria have discovered that the jaws of the polychaete worm Perinereis cultrifera are made of a unique biometal combining the strength of copper with unusual elasticity, reports the website infohub.kz.
According to the scientific portal ScienceDaily, researchers from the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Vienna, led by Christian Hellmich, studied in detail the jaws of the predatory worm Perinereis cultrifera, which has inhabited Earth since ancient times. The results were published in the journal Biophysics Reviews.
The analysis showed that these organs are composed of a special class of natural materials – 'biometals' – in which structural proteins uniquely combine with metal ions. Using nanoindentation, scientists found that at the very tips of the jaws, the concentration of metals is significantly higher, making them incredibly hard.
The worm's jaw material exhibits the Nix–Gao physical effect: the smaller the area of impact, the harder it is to deform. However, unlike copper or silver, this biometal has a unique scale-dependent elasticity. The discovery will help engineers create new artificial composites that successfully combine the strength of metal with the flexibility of living tissues.