Using compressive steel plates, engineers at the University of California Irvine (UCI) found that it can take an applied force of about 150 newtons – a load at least 39,000 times its body weight – before its exoskeleton begins to fracture. … “The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it’s not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank,” says UCI’s David Kisailus. “That’s its adaptation: it can’t fly away, so it just stays put and lets its specially designed armour take the abuse until the predator gives up.” Read More