Now, humble mollusks-inspired 'transparent armor'

Scientists have revealed that new kinds of armor that take inspiration from humble mollusks will soon be used for soldiers and cars.

Two papers have described ways to make armor from the abalone and the windowpane oyster, which will be outfitted bio-inspired armors, windshields or heat shields, Discovery News reported.

Christine Ortiz, professor of materials science and engineering at MIT, said that there is so much going on right now, the advances in the next decade are going to be incredible.

Ortiz, who experimented with a species of oyster that has a shell that is 99 percent ceramic and 80 percent transparent, said that it was a pretty good combination for a bullet-proof windshield.