Scientist Closer To Spinning Spider-Man’s Web Into Reality

It’s been well known that spider silk is stronger than steel in weight-for-weight terms, but researchers have failed to find a way to reproduce enough for commercial production… until now.

“In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences magazine, researches said there were “serious problems” with naturally manufacturing the spider protein because the arachnids do not produce enough material on their own and have a tendency to eat each other.

The researchers added that while silkworms are much easier to farm and produce copious amounts of silk, the material is often weak. So they worked out a way to transfer the key spider genes responsible for the strong thread making into the silkworm.

The scientific breakthrough could open the door for large-scale production.”

By being able to manufacture and mass produce this new silk, it opens a lot of new possibilities. The silk could be used in medical applications including artificial ligaments and tendons, as well be strong enough to be used as a new material in manufacturing bulletproof vests.

And yes, for those who are wondering… the silk could potentially even carrying the weight of a man-child swinging from building to building in red and blue pajamas.

Source: BBC , helablog