Introducing the diabolical ironclad beetle – one that is named so because of its’ tough armor that is almost impossible to break. Like all insects it possesses a strong exoskeleton (outer covering). The diabolical ironclad beetles have exoskeletal forewings called “elytra” that are among the toughest materials known in nature. This is important for their survival in the desert and also since they are unable to fly away from predators. The beetle is found in Western parts of North America in dry and arid conditions. It hides under rocks and feeds on fungus.
In order to understand what makes their elytra so tough, scientists at Purdue and The University of California Irvine have been conducting micro computed tomography scans (X-rays) on these beetles. They used machines called synchrotrons to perform 3D scans of the beetle while another machine rotated the beetle’s body inside of the instrument.
The research was published on October 22 in the journal Nature. It showed a jigsaw-puzzle like interlocking of parts of the beetle’s external body, particularly structures of the elytra and the abdomen. These 3D jigsaw like structures make it impossible to break the exterior in one go, but rather allows the body to shed parts like an onion peel.
The researchers went on to extend their work to 3D printing. Now that they had understood the structural composition that made the beetle covering so strong, they 3D printed a similar interlocking structure using similar bio materials. They observed that this 3D printed material was stronger than materials normally used by engineers in joining different machine parts.
Such engineering would be valuable where different materials such as plastics and metals need to be joined together. In the past, fasteners, welding or adhesives were used for this purpose. However, this invention might change the landscape of producing complex machinery such as in aerospace engineering, surgery and medicine in the near future.
Bibliography
“'Uncrushable' Beetle and COVID's Lack of Seasonality.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 21 Oct. 2020, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02945-7.
Rivera, J., Hosseini, M.S., Restrepo, D. et al. Toughening mechanisms of the elytra of the diabolical ironclad beetle. Nature 586, 543–548 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2813-8
Machemer, Theresa. “The Secrets of the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle's Almost Unsquishable Strength.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 22 Oct. 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-unravel-secrets-diabolical-ironclad-beetles-near-unsquishable-strength-180976113/.
