Ceramic–polymer combination gives mantis shrimp its incredible punching power

The secret of the ‘spring’ that powers the mantis shrimp’s lightning fast strike has been revealed by scientists in Singapore. They discovered that the layered arrangement of tough bioceramics and stretchy polymers lets the shrimp store up massive amounts of energy in its front limbs without shattering them. The team hope that their work on the shrimp spring’s structure could inspire the development of new elastic materials.