Lacking the ability to fly away from danger, this insect has crush-resistant exoskeletal forewings (called elytra), which means that it is able to withstand crushing and piercing strikes from predators and can survive being run over by vehicles. … David Kisailus, [UCI professor of material science and engineering] and colleagues report the structural features and material composition of the elytra, which allow the beetle to withstand forces of up to 149 newtons (approximately 39,000 times its body weight). Read More