collagen fibers
"The ground substance in joint cartilage fills in the gaps between the collagen fibers, which run parallel to each other within the cartilage. As an analogy, the collagen fibers are like the bricks of the cartilage structure, and the glycosaminoglycans are like the mortar between the bricks. Not only does glucosamine sulfate supplementation stimulate the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, but it stimulates the synthesis of collagen by chondrocytes. "
and hydroxyapetite is like cement
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.