marine creature

Unexpected starfish skeleton structure may help develop strong, lightweight ceramics

By Lisa McDonald / February 18, 2022

Marine creatures are a great source of inspiration for materials scientists looking to develop stronger and better structures. Researchers led by Virginia Tech found that the skeleton of the Protoreaster nodosus starfish offers valuable insights into designing porous calcium carbonate.

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Sea sponges resist buckling by building optimally engineered glass toothpicks

By April Gocha / January 24, 2017

Researchers at Brown University have taken a closer look at the orange puffball sea sponge’s silica spicules and found that they, too, have evolved a precisely engineered design that provides the structures with maximal strength.

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Ceramic double duty: Bifunctional material affords chiton shells strength and visibility with built-in eyes

By April Gocha / December 16, 2015

Ivy league researchers now show that mollusks called chitons have an interesting feature to adapt to their life under the sea—hundreds of tiny ceramic eyes integrated in and scattered across their strong aragonite shells.

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