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Science 13 July 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5835, p. 175
DOI: 10.1126/science.317.5835.175d
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Random Samples

Figure 1
CREDIT: D. J. MILLER/UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON
Lustrous mother-of-pearl may fetch millions, but the material's might, not its iridescence, is what has scientists swooning. Mother-of-pearl, or nacre, is 3000 times stronger than the brittle mineral aragonite of which it's composed. Now, physicists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have shined synchrotron radiation on thin layers of nacre to reveal its secret: irregular columns of crystals, like clumsily stacked bricks, resist breaking. Their report is in the 29 June Physical Review Letters.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)