Scientists wondered how a teeny-tiny beetle could get smashed under a Toyota Camry and walk away without a scratch.<br />According to Business Insider, the diabolical ironclad beetle, or phloeodes diabolicus, can have something 39,000 times its own weight stomp on it--and still survive.<br />That superhero-level ability is due to hardened casings on each wing that interlock and support the beetle's exoskeleton, like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.<br />The researchers found three different types of connections, called lateral supports, between the top and bottom halves of the beetle's exoskeleton.<br />An analysis of the beetles' hardened casings on top of each forewing shows that the shields can deform under enormous weight without losing their shape.<br />Better, stronger planes and armored vehicles could be designed by mimicking the interlocking nature of these protective layers.
