Scientists have been looking to nature for inspiration for materials with useful properties. Insect exoskeletons and shark skin are examples of materials that exhibit strength, durability, and less wind and water drag.
科学家一直在自然界寻找灵感制作可用的材料。昆虫外骨骼和鲨鱼皮就是力量、坚固、更少风和水阻的材料的例子。
为寻找具有实用性能的材料，科学家们一直在努力向自然界寻求灵感。昆虫的外骨骼和鲨鱼皮就是力度坚韧、牢固及降低风力和水力阻力的典型材料。
They're also looking at natural construction that could inform our own design projects. In that arena, researchers recently focused on the shape and structure of seashells. In a new study, they report on the properties of two types of shells collected from a sea shore in southern India: a bivalve with a typical clamshell-style shell, and a screw-type shell belonging to a turbinate.
科学家也在寻找能启发人类设计的自然结构。在这个舞台上，研究人员近期将关注到贝壳的形状和结构。在一项新的研究中，他们报告了两种从南印度海岸收集的贝壳的性能：一种是蛤壳形的双贝壳，另一种是螺旋形介壳的贝壳。
科学家也会根据自然构造来创造人类自己的设计项目。在这一领域,研究人员最近盯上了贝壳的形状和结构。在一项新的研究中,他们从印度南部海岸收集到了两类贝壳，并就其特性做了报告：一种具有典型蛤壳类特征的双壳贝和一种属于陀螺状的螺旋式贝壳。
The scientists performed a detailed analysis of the structures and the ways in which they respond to stresses at various locations.
科学家详细分析了它们的结构以及在不同场所应对压力的方法。
科学家们对这些贝壳的结构以及它们在各种情形下如何应对压力进行了详细分析。
They determined that the bivalve distributes force along the outer edge of the shell to protect the soft body inside. The screw-shaped shell keeps force directed at large rings while the soft body stays within the smaller rings.
他们发现双贝壳将力分布在贝壳的外缘，以此保护壳内的软体。螺旋形贝壳将力施加在较大的环上，而软体躲在较小的环内。
他们断定：双壳贝通过其外沿边缘分解压力以保护内部的软性体质。螺旋式贝壳则将压力直接保持在大型环上面而将软性体质藏在较小环内。
The two shell shapes can survive loads nearly double that which could be withstood by a simple sphere or cylinder. The study is in the journal Science Advances.
这两种贝壳的形状的承载量是球体或圆柱体的两倍。该研究已发表于《科学进展》杂志。
两种贝壳均可负载重量是其近两倍的简单球体或圆柱体。这项研究发表于《科学进展》杂志。
So if you wind up driving a shell-shaped car someday, it'll be both stylish and designed to protect the soft bodies inside.
所以，如果有一天你开的是一辆贝壳形的车，它的设计不仅时髦，而且能保护里面柔软的身体。
如果有一天你开上了贝壳形的汽车，它将既时尚又具保护力，因为这种设计本就旨在保护车内人员的身体。
