Shell

Gaining an understanding of how an egg's hard outer shell is anchored securely to a soft inner membrane, researchers believe could improve reconstructive surgeries like the repair of torn ligaments, which requires integration of soft and hard materials.

​Although sea shells of various types have been studied as sources of inspiration for impact-resistant manmade materials, the conch shell is known for being particularly tough. And while the reason was already understood, it hadn't been replicated using engineered materials – until now, that is.