Nature's creativity is an unceasing delight. At first glance, the humble mussel seems to be an unremarkable creature.

Yet this mighty mollusc produces an adhesive so strong that it can cling to the rocks amid waves that would sink an ocean liner.

Thanks to York's scientific brainpower, this natural superglue is being developed to help broken human bones knit together.

Researchers at York University believe the bivalve's by-product is an ideal fracture fixative.

Not only is it flexible, it works well in the wet - giving it a huge advantage over other adhesives.

It just goes to show that there is more to the magnificent mussel than moules marinieres.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.