The animal and plant worlds have inspired scientists for ages, and scientists have long been interested in why certain organisms are resilient to impact. Think of a woodpecker’s skull and beak, the ...

A large conch shell overlooked in a museum for decades is now thought to be the oldest known seashell instrument — and it still works, producing a deep, plaintive bleat, like a foghorn from the ...

The conch shell is made of the same material as chalk, but unlike the crumbly rock, it's one of the toughest materials out there. If we can understand why it's so tough, we can mimic it to create ...