But there is plenty in the humble worm to admire and inspire, say scientists in California. The jaws of marine worms, in particular, are incredibly strong. And new research is bringing researchers closer to developing hard materials that imitate nature.

This is a light-microscope image of the jaw, which is about 3 millimeters long.

H. Lichtenegger, et al./Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Mammal jaws are made of bone. Worm jaws, on the other hand, are made mostly of protein. In a recent study, Galen Stucky of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his colleagues found that a mineral called atacamite adds strength to the jaws of the marine bloodworm (Glycera dibranchiata).

In their newest study, the researchers compared the bloodworm to the clam worm (Nereis limbata), which digs around in the sand and mud. Both worms have protein-rich jaws, but the clam worm’s jaws contain just zinc while the bloodworm’s jaws contain zinc and copper.

An X-ray absorption image shows the highest concentration of zinc (dark area) near the tip of a clam-worm jaw.

H. Lichtenegger, et al./Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

The more zinc a part of the jaw has, the researchers found, the harder and stiffer it is. Even so, clam worms have softer jaws than bloodworms, which thrust their jaws into prey to inject venom.

Understanding what makes worm jaws so strong might lead to better designs for hearty, new materials, the scientists say. They’re also examining the hard beaks of octopuses and squid for similar kinds of inspiration, while other researchers are looking at sturdy conch shells.

With all the different materials that nature has created, it's already solved many construction problems that come up for human inventers.—E. Sohn