Materials
Knowledge gained from the study of natural materials, like spider silk and keratin (the protein that makes up our hair, nails and animal horns), can be applied to man-made structures. For example, in the toucan's beak, keratin and other proteins work together to form a incredibly light but also structurally sound and strong "foam."
A group of researchers at University of California, San Diego, have been studying these kinds of natural materials for decades. Two of these bio-inspired engineers, Joanna McKittrick and Marc Meyers, recently wrote a paper, published in the journal Science in February, about some of the transformative work inspired by studies of natural materials.
The interior of the toucan’s beak is rigid "foam" made of bony fibers and drum-like membranes sandwiched between outer layers of keratin, the protein that makes up fingernails, hair and horn. The result is solid “foam” made of air-tight cells that gives the beak additional rigidity. Like a house covered by a shingled roof, the foam is covered with overlapping keratin tiles, each about 50 micrometers in diameter and 1 micrometer thick, which are glued together to produce sheets.
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