The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Lab tests showed the beetle can survive forces up to 39,000 times its body weight. When scientists looked at how the ironclad's two elytra are sutured together, they found the shields fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. To find out, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and … “This study really bridges the fields of biology, physics, mechanics and materials science toward engineering applications, which you don’t typically see in research,” Kisailus said. The beetle is native to desert habitats in Southern California. Native to desert habitats in Southern California, the diabolical ironclad beetle has an exoskeleton that’s one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the animal kingdom. The aptly named diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand being crushed by forces almost 40,000 times its body weight. "That's its adaptation: It can't fly away, so it just stays put and lets its specially designed armor take the abuse until the predator gives up," said Kisailus, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Imaging scans showed the beetle's exoskeleton yields much of its strength from the elytra. Other species of the genus Zopherus, which contains 19 species, are known from western Texas. ironclad beetle california videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on ironclad beetle california . “The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it’s not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank,” lead author David Kisailus, a UCI professor of materials science and engineering, said in a news release. Nosoderma diabolicum (formerly Phloeodes diabolicus), common name: diabolical ironclad beetle, is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae.It is found in deserts of western North America, where it lives on fungi growing under tree bark.It is flightless and has a lifespan of two years, which compared to the weeks or months long lifespan of a typical beetle goes to show the value of protection. Common Name: “Ironclad” beetle Scientific Name: Zopherus nodulosus haldemani Horn Order: Coleoptera Description: The striking adult beetle is 5/8 to 1 3/16 inch long and the body is adorned by a black and creamy white blotchy color pattern. They joined their biomimetic composite to an aluminum coupling and conducted mechanical testing to determine if there were any advantages versus standard aerospace fasteners in binding dissimilar materials. According to a new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the diabolical ironclad beetle's near-invincibility is thanks to the insect's touch exoskeleton and its remarkable ability to play dead. UCI researchers led a project to study the components and architectures responsible for making the creature so indestructible. Rivera collected the beetles from sites around the Inland Empire campus and brought them back to Kisailus’ lab to perform compression tests, comparing the results to those of other species native to Southern California. “That’s its adaptation: It can’t fly away, so it just stays put and lets its specially designed armor take the abuse until the predator gives up.”. The diabolical ironclad beetle is so tough, it can survive getting run over by a car applying ~100 newtons of force. That means it can be run over by a car — and live to tell the tale. Models showed the design maximized the material's strength and durability. In collaboration with a group led by Atsushi Arakaki and his graduate student Satoshi Murata, both from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, they examined the chemical composition of the exoskeleton of a lighter flying beetle and compared it to that of their earthbound subject. His team, including UC Riverside undergraduate Drago Vasile, mimicked the elliptical, interlocking pieces of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s exoskeleton with carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. In a study published in Nature, a British scientific journal, researchers explain this particular species of beetle is so squash-resistant because the insect's armor is layered and pieced together like a jigsaw. 10 percent more protein by weight, lending an extra level of.... Withstand a force of about 39,000 times its body weight deserving of superhero status, it ’ be. Actual common name ) so indestructible common name ) so indestructible the neck, the ironclad beetle can survive up... 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