The rings of “teeth” on a squid’s tentacles provide an excellent alternative because they are eco-friendlyAlamy

Until now, feeling the sudden sharp grip of a squid’s tentacles has been bad news for fish. But the array of keratin-like teeth that the animal uses to pull prey towards its mouth might ultimately save more fish than they kill — because scientists think that they could offer a replacement for plastic.

Researchers are increasingly looking for natural alternatives to plastics, that will degrade in the environment rather than persisting for decades or more. In a paper in the journal Frontiers in Chemistry, materials scientists have argued that the rings of “teeth” on a squid’s tentacles could be a solution.

As with plastics, these teeth are formed from long chains of protein molecules that can be arranged in a variety of ways. Now that…