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Rapoport found that protein makes up more than 90 percent of the egg capsules and that the protein is probably related to those that perform similar functions in the human body. In your skin, the protein collagen limits the amount it can be stretched while elastin returns your skin to its original shape.

The whelk essentially has a heavy-duty version of those human proteins. The strength of its proteins has led Shadwick to consider its use as a durable substitute for damaged or worn human ligaments or tendons. Future biomimics could imitate the structure of whelk proteins as the basis for structures that have special durability and elasticity requirements.

Now that the mechanical properties of the whelk capsule are known, the next step is to study its composition. The task is difficult because the insoluble egg capsule cannot be broken down into its individual components; it appears to be irrevocably joined by cross-linkage, a biochemical binding process.

Rapoport is trying to identify the capsules' ingredients by seeing what is present in the snail early in the reproductive process, before the compounds are integrated into the egg case. Figuring out how they come together, though, could mean years of further research.

"We know that something changes, but we have no idea what," Shadwick said. "If there's something added, if there's some magic chemical, we don't have any evidence of that. We've got a lot of information, but we don't have the whole picture."

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