How heavy metals give spiders and other tiny animals their powerful bite

A new study finds that elements such as zinc and copper mix with natural proteins to give creatures like spiders, crabs, and other invertebrates powerful and  durable stingers, claws, and jaws. By analyzing the proteins and heavy metals at a molecular level, researchers found that individual metal atoms are woven into the proteins to create a strong, long-lasting composite material, which they’ve dubbed heavy element biomaterials.