A study led by the University of Oregon has been looking into the claw tips from crab. The material that makes up those crab tips is bromine-rich and 1.5 times harder than acrylic glass. It is a new member of a class of structural biomaterials that employ heavy atoms like zinc, iodine and iron. The researchers believe the heavy elements play a role in dampening vibrations that can lead to fracture. The translucent substance enables the claw tips of certain crabs as the pincers pick and hold prey. It also is present on the walking legs of some crabs. The biomaterial can bend six times further before breaking than the rest of the crab's body materials. The material is also present in small insects, because small parts are more at risk for fracture that large ones. And because the material is used in small organisms, the researchers hope it could be used in the engineering of microsized machines and tools.