Remarkable glass sponge found deep in the Pacific Ocean shows the ability to withstand bending and compression and more of the sponge's unusual properties.
In 1841, Richard Owen, renowned for his contributions to paleontology, marveled at a newly found sea sponge species from the coasts of the Philippines. He described the creature as a "delicate cornucopia" woven from elastic threads that reminded him of fine hairs spun from glass.
Nicknamed "Venus' flower basket," scientists to this day marvel at its curios strength and properties.
What is Venus's Flower Basket?
Found in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, the Euplectella aspergillum is a sea sponge that belongs to the Hexactinellida class -- sponges known for their ability to synthesize long and highly flexible spicules that serve as building blocks to their skeletal system, according to Harvard.
One hundred eighty years after its first discovery, scientists still marvel at its unique properties. Glass sponges are known for their exceptional longevity, with some living for up to thousands of years.
The extraordinary sponges are mostly found attached in rocky areas of the seafloor, commonly at depths greater than 500 meters.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in 2004 describes glass sponges' ability to channel light through its silica strands using fiber optics.
For two decades, a team of materials scientists, engineers, and biologists from Harvard University have focused on Venus' flower baskets. Their recent work shows the sea sponges' skeleton, for unknown reasons, is exceptionally strong--nearly uncrushable.
Dhruv Bhate, associate professor of engineering from the Arizona State University, says, "It's sort of the holy grail of engineering design."
Katia Bertoldi, a co-author of the recent studies, says, "It's this periodic architecture, but it's not a simple one," While scientists are still baffled at the remarkable lattice patterns in glass sponges, they note that the glass sponges skeletons resemble trusses.
Using computer simulations, scientists fabricated the lattice pattern of glass sponges and compared their durability with three other lattice structures, including standard truss patterns.
The simulation showed that the bio-inspired lattice withstood the most stress.
The additional diagonals in the sponge's lattice and less distance between joints allow the structure to sustain more significant compression--whether from one direction or three-point pressure-- before buckling.
Further study into the different aspects of the glassy skeletons is underway, says James Weaver, co-author of the study.
Researchers are also trying to patent their sponge-inspired lattice, adding more strength to architectural structures.
Despite all this, scientists are still unsure of the evolutionary purpose of the remarkable strength of glass sponge skeletons.
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