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Uncrushable beetle – Scientists reveal its secret.

 

Recommended for Preparatory Grades

The diabolical ironclad beetle is known as the ‘uncrushable’ beetle. This is because it has super-tough like iron. It is so tough that the insect can survive being stamped on or even run over by a car.

This armour can withstand forces up to 39,000 times the beetle’s body weight. That is the same as a 90 kg human withstanding the weight of about 280 doubledecker buses!

In a new study, scientists have found the secrets of the uncrushable beetle’s tough armour. The findings could help us create tougher materials for use in buildings and even aircraft.

This beetle type is found mainly in the US and Mexico. It is about 2 cm in length and lives under the bark of trees or beneath rocks. The beetle cannot fly. So, its wing covers, are hardened and fused together, to save itself from danger.

In the study, the scientists used various technologies to study the beetle’s outer tough elytra.

They discovered that the uncrushable beetle’s elytra had a lot of interlocking sections. This helped distribute stress and make the joint stronger.

Later, scientists created joints of metal and other materials in a design similar to the beetle’s joints. They found that the designs made the materials tougher and stronger.

Here is a video of beetles:

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