M multicellular organisms produce hard tissues such as bones, teeth, shells, skeletal units, and spicules (1). These hard tissues are biocomposites and incorporate both structural macromolecules (lipids, proteins, and polysaccharides) and minerals of, perhaps, 60 different kinds, including hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate, and silica. A number of single-celled organisms (bacteria and algae) al...

Locomotion in nature fairly exceeds locomotion of human-made devices. Biomimetics now tries to copy and imitate materials, mechanisms and processes found in biology to overcome the limitations of traditional mechatronical robotics. By investigating muscle-like polymers, imitating nerve-wiring in animals or evolving motion patterns on the computer several research labs worldwide are producing pr...

Ferenc Horkay,* Peter J. Basser, Anne-Marie Hecht, Erik Geissler 1 Section on Tissue Biophysics and Biomimetics, Laboratory of Integrative and Medical Biophysics, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, 13 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA Fax: 301-435-5035; E-mail: [email protected] 2 Laboratoire de Spectrométrie Physique CNRS UMR 5588, Université J. Fourier de Grenoble, B.P. 87, 38402 St ...