More-efficient solar cells, and fast-charging lithium-ion
batteries, are likely in the near future thanks to some new
research on how the teeth of a type of marine snail grow. The
newly-gained insights will lead to the less-expensive and more-
efficient production of nanoscale materials, according to the
researcher behind this work. The research was started as a way
to learn more about abrasion and impact-resistant materials. So
the research was focused on the gumboot chiton, a foot-long sea
snail that is found along the coasts of North America, from
California to Alaska. The teeth of these chitons contains what
is thought to be the hardest biomineral on the Earth, magnetite.
So not only are the teeth very strong, but they are also
magnetic. These incredibly strong teeth evolved because,
essentially, the snails have to cut through rock to get to the
algae that they eat. The teeth are located on a conveyer belt-
like structure in their mouth that slowly rotates new teeth onto
the tip of the structure, where they