Oh Momma! Mother of Pearl!

Jewelers have long prized mother-of-pearl for its iridescent sheen, but scientists are captivated by its structure.

Nacre, as it is also known, is nearly 97 percent lime, but has a breaking strength a thousand times higher.

For years scientists believed nacre got its strength from the way lime crystallized in layers over pre-formed layers of chitin, a common scaffolding material found in many insect shells.

Now, using scanning electron microscopes, which produce high resolution images of tiny objects, researchers at the Max Planck Institute have discovered that instead of being neat sheets, the layers of lime have disordered chunks of calcium carbonate scattered throughout.

Understanding how mother-of-pearl forms so strong could lead to a revolution in the construction industry. Once researchers uncover these secrets, they may be able to make gypsum plasterboard more firm, or concrete that's lightweight but just as strong.

--Bjorn Carey

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Credit: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces