Marine mussels grip coastal rocks with such force using their unique "barbs" that they are able to withstand the onslaught of the tide, the blows of the waves and even the wear and tear of being permanently exposed to salt and debris. sand and rock that carries the water.
Matthew Harrington and his colleagues at the German Max Planck Institute have analyzed the muscles of bivalves under the microscope and have discovered that their secret lies in a protein coat rich in an amino acid called dopa , with adhesive properties, mixed with metal ions , including abundant iron . This combination allows the mussel's "beards" to be both extraordinarily hard and flexible, capable of even doubling in size without cracking, according to scientists in the journal Science .
