Sea sponges offer clues to how human-made structures can resist buckling
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - 15:02
in Biology & Nature
Judging by their name alone, orange puffball sea sponges might seem unlikely paragons of structural strength. But maintaining their shape at the bottom of the churning ocean is critical to the creatures' survival, and new research shows that tiny structural rods in their bodies have evolved the optimal shape to avoid buckling under pressure.