Definitions

Composite - a structural material made up of more than one substance

Compression strength - the ability of a structural material to withstand compression forces

Keratin - A tough, protein substance that is the main component of hair, nails, horns, and hooves.

Rhinoceros

12. Rhino horns do something stealth bombers can't. They can handle torsion - when they scrape around in the dirt back and forth, and compression - when they use their horns as defense. Material scientists invented graphite fiber composite used for the skin of the Stealth bomber... something that looks just like the cross-section of a rhino's horn, but Stealth bombers lack compression strength.
    
    Rhino horns were thought to be composed of hairs, but are not hair at all. The horns are composed of 2 types of keratin. Imagine a wooden rod (one type of keratin) with doughnuts (the other type of keratin) stacked up on the dowel. Rhino horn can even heal itself... something unheard of since keratin is not supposed to be "alive".
    
    The Morphing Project at NASA has been learning from the rhinos. They are developing self-healing materials. They can also make structures similar to bone.
    
    Our new "smart materials" can't hold a candle to the dolphin's skin or the butterfly's proboscis and our most stealthy radar is hard of hearing compared to the bat's multi-frequency transmission. Engineers: Building new architectural struts and beams? Look at lily pads and bamboo stems. Want to develop a more maneuverable helicopter? Look at dragonflies.

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