A stink beetle or a Namibian beetle are more rounded. “This study really bridges the fields of biology, physics, mechanics and materials science toward engineering applications, which you don’t typically see in research,” Kisailus said. UC Irvine researchers led a project to study the components and architectures responsible for making the creature so indestructible. Copyright © 2020 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Instead, it delaminates, providing for a more graceful failure of the structure.”. In collaboration with a group led by Atsushi Arakaki and his graduate student Satoshi Murata, both from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, they examined the chemical composition of the exoskeleton of a lighter flying beetle and compared it to that of their earthbound subject. Using powerful X-ray imaging technology, researchers observed the behavior of the beetle's nanoscale exoskeleton features while getting crushed. The diabolical ironclad beetle dwells in desert regions of western North America. Rivera built a device inside an electron microscope to observe how these connections perform under compression, similar to how they might respond in nature. They joined their biomimetic composite to an aluminum coupling and conducted mechanical testing to determine if there were any advantages versus standard aerospace fasteners in binding dissimilar materials. His team, including UC Riverside undergraduate Drago Vasile, mimicked the elliptical, interlocking pieces of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s exoskeleton with carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. Getting run over by a car is no sweat for the resilient beetle. But why? “Luckily, this program, which is sponsored by the Air Force, really enables us to form these multidisciplinary teams that helped connect the dots to lead to this significant discovery.”. Photograph: Nature. This 2016 photo provided by the University of California, Irvine, shows a diabolical ironclad beetle, which can withstand being crushed by forces almost 40,000 times its body weight and are native to desert habitats in Southern California. Other species of the genus Zopherus, which contains 19 species, are known from western Texas. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu. Closer examination revealed the presence of rodlike elements called microtrichia that researchers estimate work like friction pads, preventing layers from slipping when they experience delamination. They can do that, researchers discovered, thanks to hardened casings … To further substantiate their experimental observations, Rivera and co-authors Maryam Hosseini and David Restrepo – both from Pablo Zavattieri’s lab at Purdue University – employed 3D printing techniques to create their own structures of the same design. Ironclad Beetles Zopheridae 1. The diabolical ironclad beetle is so tough, it can survive getting run over by a car applying ~100 newtons of force. It has a distinctly hard-to-squish shape, notes David Kisailus. The team also investigated the geometry of the medial suture joining the two parts of the elytra together and found that it looks very much like interlocking pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. UCI researchers led a project to study the components and architectures responsible for making the creature so indestructible. ", New research has revealed the nanoscale secrets of the diabolical ironclad beetle's near-indestructible exoskeleton, one of the most crush-resistant structures in the animal kingdom. He’s a materials scientist at the University of California, Irvine. A cross section of the medial suture, where two halves of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s elytra meet, shows the puzzle piece configuration that’s among the keys to the insect’s incredible durability. In a paper published today in Nature, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions reveal the material components – and their nano- and microscale blueprints – that make the organism so indestructible, while also demonstrating how engineers can benefit from these designs. If ever there were an insect deserving of superhero status, it’d be the diabolical ironclad beetle. Run over it with a car, and the critter lives on. Lacking the ability to fly away from predators, this desert insect has extremely impact-resistant and crush-resistant elytra, produced by complex and graded interfaces. “That’s its adaptation: It can’t fly away, so it just stays put and lets its specially designed armor take the abuse until the predator gives up.”. Jesus Rivera / UCI, Strategic Communications & Public Affairs, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Tell Your Toddlers That Santa Claus Got His COVID-19 Vaccination, U of California-Irvine develops model to predict COVID-19 outcomes: 5 details, UC numbers soar, Cal State tumbles as pandemic upends college application season. The study, led by engineers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Purdue University, found that the diabolical ironclad beetle’s super-toughness lies in its two armorlike “elytron” that meet at a line, called a suture, running the length of the abdomen. In its desert habitat in the U.S. Southwest, the beetle can be found under rocks and in trees, squeezed between the bark and the trunk – another reason it needs to have a durable exterior. Among flying beetles, the elytra operate as forewing blades, a kind of sheath for a beetle's wings. They also validated that the geometry, the material components and their assembly are critical in making the beetle’s exoskeleton so tough and robust. The diabolical ironclad beetle, a Southern California native, can withstand being crushed by forces almost 40,000 times its body weight. Compared to flying beetles, the ironclad's exoskeleton feature 10 percent more protein by weight, lending an extra level of durability. The diabolical ironclad beetle, a desert bug native to California, can withstand nearly 40,000 times its body weight. Native to desert habitats in Southern California, the diabolical ironclad beetle has an exoskeleton that's one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to … Amber fossils reveal true colors of 99 million-year-old insects, Sexual competition, choice helps protect species from extinction, Forest-killing bark beetles also might help ecosystem, experts say, Material protecting beetle could have medical, engineering applications. Analysis by Kisailus and Rivera showed that the elytra consists of layers of chitin, a fibrous material, and a protein matrix. Summary 3. They found that the diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand a force of about 39,000 times its body weight. Aulonium longum Bitoma gracilis Bitoma ornata Bitoma sulcata Coxelus serratus Hyporhagus gilensis Lasconotus laqueatus Lasconotus linearis Lasconotus nucleatus Lasconotus pertenuis UCI’s third annual Anti-Cancer Challenge sets fundraising record, UCI Center on Stress & Health awarded $6.3 million by National Institutes of Health, Native to desert habitats in Southern California, the diabolical ironclad beetle has an exoskeleton that’s one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the animal kingdom. Its exoskeleton (integument) is extremely hard. One impressive example is found in the exoskeletal forewings (elytra) of the diabolical ironclad beetle, Phloeodes diabolicus. The project – which received support from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Army Research Office, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology’s Institute of Global Innovation Research – also included researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Kisailus sent Rivera to work with Dula Parkinson and Harold Barnard at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where they performed high-resolution experiments to pinpoint the changes within the structures in real time using extremely powerful X-rays. Kisailus said he sees great promise in the ironclad beetle’s exoskeleton and other biological systems for new substances to benefit humanity. What makes the diabolical ironclad beetle (the insect's actual common name) so indestructible? Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Like the boss at the end of a video game, California's diabolical ironclad beetle is seemingly indestructible. The diabolical ironclad beetle is, as its name suggests, one tough insect.Clad in super-tough body armour, the beetle can survive the heaviest of forces - as much as being run over by a car. Known Species per The California Beetle Database. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. ... co-author of the study from the University of California, Irvine. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. When compressed, the components don't shatter, but instead experience delamination, or layered fracturing. This diabolical ironclad super-beetle can survive being run over by a car — and help with engineering problems By Amy Woodyatt, CNN | Posted - Oct. 23, 2020 at 11:33 a.m. In … The beetle's elytra are composed of layers of a fibrous material called chitin and supported by a protein matrix. Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. The ironclad’s elytra have evolved to become a solid, protective shield. Lab tests showed the beetle can survive forces up to 39,000 times its body weight. They ran tests revealing that the arrangement provides the maximum amount of strength and durability. Native to desert habitats in Southern California, the diabolical ironclad beetle has an exoskeleton that’s one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the animal kingdom. Sure enough, the scientists found that the beetle-inspired structure was both stronger and tougher than current engineering fasteners. Photo by Jesus Rivera/UCI, Longest night of 2020 to feature year's final meteor shower, SpaceX launches U.S. spy satellite; Falcon 9 first stage returns, ULA aims for launch of new Vulcan rocket at end of 2021, Electromagnetic images help scientists deconstruct ancient Jewish parchment, Giant mouse relative dubbed 'crazy beast' shared Gondwana with dinosaurs. Further microscopic examination by Rivera disclosed that the outside surfaces of these blades feature arrays of rodlike elements called microtrichia that the scientists believe act as frictional pads, providing resistance to slippage. “The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it’s not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank,” said principle investigator and corresponding author David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science & engineering. Scientists estimate their research will have a variety of applications in structural and material engineering. The beetle’s survival depends on two key factors: its ability to convincingly play dead and an exoskeleton that’s one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the biological world. The results of his experiment revealed that, rather than snapping at the “neck” region of these interlocks, the microstructure within the elytra blades gives way via delamination, or layered fracturing. In a study published in Nature, a British scientific journal, researchers explain this particular species of beetle is so squash-resistant because the insect's armor is layered and pieced together like a jigsaw. Common Name: “Ironclad” beetle Scientific Name: Zopherus nodulosus haldemani Horn Order: Coleoptera Description: The striking adult beetle is 5/8 to 1 3/16 inch long and the body is adorned by a black and creamy white blotchy color pattern. Models showed the design maximized the material's strength and durability. "When you break a puzzle piece, you expect it to separate at the neck, the thinnest part," Kisailus said. In aerial beetles, elytra are the forewing blades that open and close to safeguard the flight wings from bacteria, desiccation and other sources of harm. The imagines revealed what scientists suspected -- the layers of the elytra and surrounding exoskeleton slowly delaminate, but avoid structural failure. The Purdue team’s models showed that not only does the geometry enable a stronger interlock, but the lamination provides a more reliable interface. And the species' more common enemies, hungry birds, lizards and rodents, are regularly frustrated by the hardy beetle. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. “When you break a puzzle piece, you expect it to separate at the neck, the thinnest part,” Kisailus said. 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