The glue is a synthetic version of the glue that sandcastle worms use to build homes from bits of sand and shell. Russell Stewart, associate professor of bioengineering, said the glue could be used to repair shattered bones in knees and joints, as well as the face.

"When you break the top of a bone in a joint, those fractures are difficult to repair because if they are not aligned precisely, you end up with arthritis and the joint won't work anyway," Stewart said in a university release. "So it's very important to get those pieces aligned as well as possible."

The report is published in the journal Macromolecular Biosciences.