For years, spider silk has been hailed as one of nature’s most remarkable materials.
It’s stronger than steel by weight, incredibly flexible, and has inspired everything from bulletproof vests to futuristic medical sutures.
Its tensile strength rivals that of a high-grade steel alloy, and it even competes with Kevlar, the synthetic material used in body armor.
What’s even more astonishing is its lightness—a single strand of spider silk long enough to circle the Earth would weigh less than 500 grams.
That’s an engineering marvel in itself.
But as groundbreaking as spider silk is, it may have just lost its title as the strongest natural material.
Scientists have found something even tougher—the microscopic teeth of limpets, a type of marine snail.
A Marine Snail’s Hidden Superpower
At first glance, limpets don’t seem particularly remarkable.
They’re small, unassuming mollusks that cling to rocks in coastal waters.
However, their teeth contain a secret that sets them apart from anything found in nature.
A team of researchers at the University of Portsmouth, led by Asa Barber, recently discovered that these tiny teeth exhibit a strength that surpasses spider silk.
“Until now, we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything from bulletproof vests to computer electronics,” Barber explained in a press release.
“But now we have discovered that limpet teeth exhibit a strength that is potentially higher.”
What Makes Limpet Teeth So Incredibly Strong?
To understand why limpet teeth are so tough, the researchers examined them at the atomic level.
What they found was a super-hard, iron-bearing hydroxide mineral called goethite, embedded within the tooth structure.
This mineral forms as the limpet grows and helps it perform one of its most essential tasks—scraping algae off rocks for food.
Limpets use their razor-sharp, ultra-durable teeth to latch onto rock surfaces and grind away algae, enduring enormous forces in the process.
The teeth need to be incredibly strong to withstand the repeated mechanical stress of scraping against hard surfaces—and it turns out they are stronger than anything scientists have previously studied in nature.
Stronger Than Steel—and Even Spider Silk
When the researchers tested the mechanical strength of limpet teeth, they found something shocking.
The material had a tensile strength of up to 6.5 gigapascals (GPa)—which is stronger than even the best spider silks, which top out around 4.5 GPa.
For comparison, high-performance steels typically range from 1 to 2 GPa, meaning limpet teeth are several times stronger than steel.
Why Haven’t We Heard About This Before?
Despite the incredible strength of limpet teeth, spider silk has traditionally stolen the spotlight because of its flexibility, lightweight nature, and potential for real-world applications.
However, limpet teeth’s toughness could be even more useful in engineering fields that require materials to withstand extreme forces.
According to Barber, this discovery could change the way we design and manufacture high-performance materials.
Engineering the Future with Limpet-Inspired Materials
The researchers believe that by studying the structure of limpet teeth, we could replicate their properties in synthetic materials for industrial applications.
Potential uses include:
- Stronger and lighter aircraft – Materials mimicking limpet teeth could be used to create lighter, more resilient airplane fuselages.
- High-performance cars – Formula One teams could use limpet-inspired composites to enhance speed and durability.
- Stronger boats and marine structures – The fibrous structure of limpet teeth could improve ship hulls and underwater construction materials.
- Cutting-edge medical applications – Ultra-strong and lightweight biocompatible materials could revolutionize prosthetics and surgical implants.
Barber emphasized the potential for engineering applications: “We discovered that the fibers of goethite are just the right size to make up a resilient composite structure.
This discovery means that the fibrous structures found in limpet teeth could be mimicked and used in high-performance engineering applications.”
What’s Next for This Super Material?
While spider silk remains an extraordinary natural material, limpet teeth are rewriting what we thought was possible in biological strength.
As researchers continue to explore ways to synthesize and adapt the properties of limpet teeth, we may soon see breakthroughs in materials science that transform industries ranging from aerospace to medicine.
So, while spiders may have lost their crown, the humble limpet is now taking center stage. And who knows?
The future of ultra-strong materials might just come from the ocean floor.
