jgsmith@bcm.tmc.edu (James G. Smith) (04/19/91)
While diamond may be an improvement over bone for skeletons, I doubt it would be optimal. It might be that we would prefer our bones to be not only not brittle, but maybe even flexible. I think this may be a good start off point for a discussion. What material would you want your bones to be? Knowing no properties of the actual stuff, I'm kinda leaning towards kevlar. How is kevlar made? Is it a process that might lend itself to nanotechnology? What properties should optimal bones have? I guess they shouldn't be too heavy. What should they do under the circumstances in which our bones currently break? Should they bend and recoil like rubber? Should they deform like car fenders? Should they shatter into many bits? Should they break, but with blunt ends? * (One kevlar skull, please. [Kevlar is a fiber. For use in armor, it is woven into thick fabric of which several layers are used. For rigid armor, it's impregnated with epoxy or other bonding agent. It's extremely tough and shock- resistant, though not as strong in pure PSI as graphite fiber. Play with a modern tennis racquet or fishing rod to get a good idea what the macroscopic properties are like. --JoSH]