The last time you watched a spider drop from the ceiling on a line of silk, it likely descended gracefully on its dragline instead of spiraling uncontrollably, because spider silk has an unusual ability to resist twisting ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 7, 2017
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163
Many researchers dream of deciphering the amazing ability of spiders to create super strong, super light, and super flexible silk threads—but so far, no one has been able to replicate the spiders' work.
Biochemistry
Jun 20, 2023
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159
Nature has evolved protein-based substances with mechanical properties that rival even the best synthetic materials. For example, pound for pound, spider silk is stronger and tougher than steel. But unlike steel, the natural ...
Materials Science
Apr 2, 2019
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150
Tougher than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty and luxury, silk fibers are a masterpiece of nature whose remarkable properties have yet to be fully replicated in the laboratory.
Materials Science
Jul 29, 2010
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UConn researchers have created a biodegradable composite made of silk fibers that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials.
Materials Science
Apr 19, 2018
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237
(Phys.org) —Rabbit, a brown-recluse spider, is fastened to the proverbial treadmill in Hannes Schniepp's Nanomaterials & Imaging lab. She is restrained but relaxed. Her spinnerets are churning out exquisite ribbons of silk. ...
Materials Science
Mar 10, 2014
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1
Spiders—what are they good for? The answer, it turns out, is more than just insect control.
Condensed Matter
Jun 30, 2020
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267
It has five times the tensile strength of steel and is stronger then even the best currently available synthetic fibers: Spider thread. German scientists of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen and the Universitaet Bayreuth ...
Materials Science
Aug 17, 2011
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Researchers have harnessed the light-guiding properties of spider silk to develop a sensor that can detect and measure small changes in the refractive index of a biological solution, including glucose and other types of sugar ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 2, 2022
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103
Spiders use their silk to catch lunch. Now physicists are using it to catch light. New research shows that natural silk could be an eco-friendly alternative to more traditional ways of manipulating light, such as through ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 11, 2012
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