Narrator: This is Science Today. A surprising, fundamental discovery about the properties of human bone has been made by scientists at the University of California , Santa Barbara . Engineer Georg Fantner says their study revealed a ‘glue' that appears to contain springs that uncoil when the bone is stressed and helps the bone to absorb shock.
Fantner: The next step definitely is to try to find out what the glue actually consists of. We have some good guesses, but we really want to find which type of molecules play a role within this glue and then to find out whether there actually is a difference between the amount and the quality of the molecules in bones from younger people compared to older people or people that have bone diseases.
Narrator: These findings may lead to new diagnostic and preventative therapies.
Fantner: What we have found is that there is a component there that is very likely responsible for a large part of the bone strength that was previously, completely unknown. So for therapy, or bone fracture prevention, this opens up now a whole new world of possibilities.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.