Weirdly, This Is The Strongest Thing In All Of Nature

Spider silk has had it too good for too long.

Anecdotally believed to be the toughest biological material on the planet, a new study – reported on by the BBC - proves it has been nothing more than an imposter to the throne.

If you’ve had your suspicions about what might actually be tougher than spider silk, now is the time to announce your prediction to whomever might be nearby, before I just outright tell you.

Ready?

If you figured out what that thing at the top of the article is and screamed, “limpet teeth,” congratulations, you nailed it.

According to Dr. Asa Barber, a professor at the University of Portsmouth’s School of Engineering, where the study was conducted, “the fibrous structures found in limpet teeth could be mimicked and used in high-performance engineering applications such as Formula 1 racing cars, the hulls of boats and aircraft structures.”

That’s great news for the scientific community. But we have one further question: What's a limpet?

The internet tells us that limpets are basically aquatic snails, similar to barnacles or mussels, in that they are also gross. Limpets use their incredibly strong teeth to grab onto rock surfaces, and keep from being washed away by strong waves.

It is those teeth that are apparently five times stronger than spider silk (ranging from 3 to 6.5 gigapascals, for those keeping score), yet are 100 times thinner than human hair.

However, not even limpet teeth can take the title of world’s toughest material, natural or otherwise, from the true record-holder: sun-hardened Fantales.

FYI, here is a recipe for pan-fried limpets with mango salsa, if you dare.