The iron-encrusted shell of a snail that lives near deep-sea volcanic vents could inspire better armour for soldiers and vehicles, researchers say.
The scaly-foot snail, discovered in 2003 near hydrothermal jets on the floor of the Indian Ocean, has a unique three-layered shell that withstands forces that would break other snail shells.
Materials scientist Christine Ortiz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her colleagues examined the small-scale properties of the shell and created a computer simulation to examine how the armour works.
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