‘Supersteel’ Modeled On Human Bone Is Resistant To Cracks

"Our bones are light, tough, and fracture resistant. That’s because of the hierarchical way in which they are built. On the nanoscale, tiny collagen fibers have a laminatelike arrangement, with different layers of fibers oriented in different directions. On larger scales, bones have a latticelike structure and different patterns of voids that make them light and strong. These structures ensure that bone resists the propagation of cracks in any one direction. Metallurgists have now followed nature’s lead, creating steel with a similar bonelike nanostructure."