Material scientists have for the first time observed nanoparticles of copper, platinum and other metals fixing cracks and malformities in their structures, a discovery that researchers believe could lead to the development of self-healing metals that repair damage automatically, LiveScience reports.
The recovery is not as rapid as the second-generation (in this timeline) Terminator from the Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise, but the fact that some metals will automatically fill in fissures and cracks caused by repeated strain on a microscopic level will lead researchers to push the speed and size of such processes to improve performance on things from airplane wings to automotive parts to mechanical devices.