Piranha-Proof Armor Inspires Tough Materials

Get Inside the Science:

• Engineers Find Inspiration for New Materials in Piranha-proof Armor
• The Meyers Group at UCSD
• Piranha vs. Arapaima

Inside Science Buzzwords:

1. Piranha - A fish found in South American that is known for its sharp teeth.
2. Arapaima - A fish found in South America with specially designed scales that can withstand the bite of a piranha fish.
3. Biomimetics - The study of biological materials from living organisms, with the goal of mimicking them to produce better synthetic materials.
4. Ceramic - A nonmetallic material that is often strong and hard, but usually brittle and inflexible, except in some cases, such as the natural Arapaima scales.