Contents: Adv. Eng. Mater. 8∕2016

Major microstructural features involved in the fracture process of cortical bone are selected and implemented in a new 3D-printed composite design to reproduce the principal toughening mechanisms and achieve an increase in toughness with respect to the pure materials. This image shows a characteristic zig-zag crack path, owing to continuous crack branching, with extraordinary similarities to the failure mechanisms observed in bone microstructure. Further details can be found in the article by M. J. Buehler and co-workers on page 1354.