Human bone has a form of ‘glue’ or adhesive that acts as a shock absorber to help bone during stress, University of California Santa Barbara researchers have announced.

This “molecular shock absorber,” studied at a nano-scale molecular level using an atomic force microscope, is similar to that discovered in abalone shell. The discovery of these molecules may lead to better treatment of bone diseases. As Dr. Daniel Morse explains, “We’re especially interested in learning how these molecules change and become depleted with age as well as in certain diseases. A potential benefit from these discoveries is the prospect that we might now learn how to protect bone from these deleterious changes.”

University of California Santa Barbara news release