Ancient sea worm had jaws made of mysterious bio-metal, scientists find
Researchers have identified 'bio-metals' in the jaws of the marine bristle worm Perinereis cultrifera, a material combining structural proteins and metal ions. This discovery helps scientists better define the unique mechanical properties of biological materials that mimic the hardness of metals.
Why it matters
Understanding how nature creates high-performance materials can lead to breakthroughs in synthetic materials science and bio-inspired engineering.
Imagine you’re playing “20 Questions” and you start with the classic opener: “Animal, vegetable, or mineral?” Most of the time, a sea worm would be an easy answer: animal. But one particular marine species, the ancient and still-living bristle worm Perinereis cultrifera, complicates that simple choice.This worm is a predator, and it hunts with jaws that are as fascinating as they are fearsome. Those jaws aren’t made of bone or simple protein alone; they’re built from a combination of structural proteins and metal ions that give them hardness and toughness similar to metals. That unusual blend has led scientists to use a new word for them: bio‑metals.What are bio-metals?Scientists have long talked about “metal‑like biomaterials” when describing biological structures that act somewhat like metals. For example, materials in animals that are very strong or conduct electricity well.
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