"With their shells, these protozoa produce up to two kilograms of calcium carbonate per square meter of ocean floor. This often makes them, after corals, the most important producers of sediment ...

and say the same principles can be used for body armor and helmets. The shells of marine organisms take a beating from impacts due to storms and tides, rocky shores, and sharp-toothed predators.

The latest example of science imitating nature comes from researchers at MIT who have discovered that the shell ... inspire body armor. The MIT researcher is also looking at other marine molluscs ...