They have the hardest teeth on earth: beetles. The shellfish – also known as chitons – use their magnetic, iron -containing teeth to scrape algae of rocks, just like their distant family member the scale hearing. In Science now describe Japanese biologists How the magnetite ends up in those chit disebs: thanks to a protein that ensures the right dosage and the right timing.
Sea snails that live on the rocks in tidal suns are at home from all markets. Their sturdy shell keeps starfish and other It is precisely because of the extreme living environment that there are some adjustments in their appearance compared to other snails: the cottage is flat and seamlessly connects to the surface, so that no soft tisses stick from underneath. And then there are those extra hard teeth, which, although can wear but also be replaced immediately by new ones.
With the normal scale hearing Patella vulgataa snail with a round and pointed ‘rice hat house’ that is not a direct family of the beetles, those teeth consist of, for example, the iron -containing mineral Goethite. Earlier research has been announced that the Goethite teeth can withstand tensile forces of up to 6.5 Gigapascal. For comparison: that is 2 gigapascal more than spider side, that other super strong material of organic origin. Even if they wear out, the scale horizes remain sharp. This is due to the structure: the Goethite crystals are in a kind of roof panconia on top of each other.
Right moment, right place
In today’s Science-article is a starring role for the more than thirty centimeters long giant snail Cryptochitone Stelleriwith teeth of the also strong magnetite. The researchers discovered that a special protein, RTMP1, in the early phase of dental development ensures the correct dosage of iron oxide. At that time, the teeth are only ‘a transparent matrix’ of chitine and proteins, the authors write. Then there is first not so strong red -brown iron oxide in its place and ultimately hard black magnetite. RTMP1 binds to iron ions in that process and ensures that the mineralization takes place at the right time in the right place. In this way the giant fever with its radula can perform repetitive rock scrap movements to its heart’s content.
Sometimes they are even so far -reaching that they influence geology: In an article from 2022 in the Journal of Composite Materials For example, there is a fascinating image of mushroom -shaped rocks that have been created by the scraping of beetles.
Incidentally, there is also a phenomenon for scales mushrooming Although that indicates something completely different: if an enemy – like a starfish – approaches, the snail pushes his shell slightly, making it look like a mushroom. When the starfish moves one of his arms under the shell, the crowds of scale collapse down again, causing the arm to be clamped.