How oysters helped create nearly 'bulletproof' glass
The material could be used for everything from windows and windshields to solar panels and touch screens

Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is shatterproof glass.
The molecular structure of the mother-of-pearl inside an oyster shell showed scientists how to create glass that is "virtually shatterproof," said Roni Dengler at Discover. The "bioinspired" glass designed by engineers at McGill University is "two to three times more impact resistant than" tempered or even "bulletproof" laminated glass.
That's because they designed it around the microscopic structure of mother-of-pearl, whose tiny mineral "building blocks" slide apart under force, allowing "the material to take on substantial blows without breaking." The new glass "is transparent, does not produce any image distortions," and when scientists did use enough force to damage it, it dented instead of cracking. The material could be used for "everything from windows and windshields to solar panels and touch screens."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The answer isn't to shake faith in the dollar'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 Shortlist Announced
The Week Junior Book Awards have unveiled the 2025 shortlist, celebrating the best in children’s literature across 13 categories.