Ant teeth might be thinner than a strand of human hair, but don’t let their size fool you. Because of these miniature chompers, ants can bite through tough leaves, and their teeth won’t even be damaged in the process. The ant teeth can even cut human skin and still not break — a feat difficult for human teeth. That’s how strong ant teeth are. The question is, what makes the ant teeth so strong? The answer lies in the uniform distribution of zinc atoms, which allow for equal distribution of force.
Each time an ant bites into something, the force is perfectly spread throughout their teeth because of the even dispersal of zinc atoms. That explains why only about 10-20% of zinc is actually necessary for their mighty dental material. Better yet, the researchers say the animals end up using about 60% or less of the force than they would require if their teeth were identical to our comparatively weak pearly whites, which have different types and distributions of elements.
Arun Devaraj, the author of a study about ant teeth composition, states that, using the concept behind the ant teeth, scientists could make materials that are really strong.
"We have already started looking at scorpion stings, for example, and the spider fang," Devaraj said, "and many other kinds of miniature tools to understand the kind of small tool arsenals of insects."
Truly amazing.
(Image Credit: diego_torres/ Pixabay)
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(Image Credit: Robert Schofield/University of Oregon)
(Image Credit: Schofield et al. via Nature)