Materials from Tough-as-Nails Crustacean Could Inspire Better Body Armor

carmendrahl writes: "The peacock mantis shrimp, a crustacean which is neither a mantis nor a shrimp, has hammer-like clubs for smashing the shells of its prey, so strong that regular glass aquariums can’t hold them. But what’s interested researchers for some time is how the clubs stand up to all that stress. Now, a team’s figured out why- the mantis shrimp club's molecular structure is set up to resist fractures. That discovery could lead to stronger and lighter car frames or body armor."