Did you know? Spider silk is five times as strong as steel!
Update by news editor
10-02-2012
Strong like spider silk
Scientists have discovered why spider webs are so
strong
Scientists have discovered why spider webs are so strong. They
found that some spider webs can withstand hurricane-force
winds!
A spider's silk is very strong, but that's not the only
important factor in a web's strength. The way the web is designed
means that if a single strand of web breaks, the strength of the
web actually increases. Pretty impressive from a humble spider!
What a clever material property! Imagine if we built objects
that, when a bit broke off, the objects got stronger.
The discovery could be used to build aeroplanes or armoured
vehicles that can keep working even if they become damaged.
Computer network systems could even use the same idea to protect
against virus attacks.
Scientists also found that spider silk can react differently to
different types of forces. If a light wind blows on the web, the
silk softens and becomes more flexible. The spider web can blow in
the breeze without breaking.
But if a larger force is applied to one part of the web, the
silk in that part of the web becomes stiff and one or two threads
break. The rest of the web stays intact.
It takes a lot of energy to build a web. Their clever design
means that if only a couple of threads break, the spider doesn't
have to start building a whole web from scratch.
Also, spiders need their webs to catch food. If the web broke
every time an insect flew into it, it wouldn't be a very good trap!
Instead, the web is flexible enough to stretch when an insect lands
in it, strong enough not to break and sticky enough to trap the
insect.
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Strong like spider silk
Genetically engineered silk worms could provide medical
help
A team of researchers think they may have found a way to produce
their very own spider silk.
The scientists genetically engineered silkworms to spin silk
that has spider silk proteins in it. The fibres ended up being much
stronger than normal silkworm silk and almost as tough as spider
silk.
It could be a practical way of producing lots of fibres that are
very like spider silk for a variety of purposes.
Spider silk is five times as strong as steel! If we could get
our hands on lots and lots of it, it could be possible to use it in
medical treatments, like wound dressings, artificial ligaments or
tendons.
But spider farming is not an option because the creatures are
very territorial and tend to eat each other.
Instead, the research team studied spider genes and tracked down
the genetic sequences that allow spiders to spin their especially
strong and elastic webs.
They then inserted these genes into silk worms. Silk worms have
been used for centuries to create silk for textiles and many other
uses.
The result was worms that could produce fibres that were up to
four times stronger than normal.
The next step for the researchers, who come from both China and
the USA, is to engineer silkworms to spin silk that contains only
spider silk proteins.
Other genetically engineered animals that have been created in
the past include glow-in-the-dark cats and monkeys, anti-flu
chickens, and spider-goats.
Click
here to try our spider quiz and here
to see a slideshow of genetically engineered animals.
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suggestions
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