Front Cover: Design strategies of the mantis shrimp spike: How the crustacean cuticle became a remarkable biological harpoon

Abstract

The arthropod cuticle is not only one of the most remarkable and versatile biological material but also a wonderful source of inspiration for developing new man-made composites. In this cover article ntls.20220060, Yann Delaunois and colleagues, investigate the spikes of the mantis shrimp with a multimodal approach and uncover several features allowing the spike to be a high-performance biological harpoon combing lightweight with high stiff and toughness.