Did you know that silk fabric is made from … well, worm spit? The way that silkworms wind their cocoons from fibers in their slimy saliva is now helping scientists more easily make new biomedical materials. Researchers ...
Nanomaterials
Dec 21, 2022
0
166
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
0
103
Spider silk has enormous potential in regenerative medicine thanks to being a natural fiber that is tough, stable, and biodegradable. Researchers have now produced double-sided spider silk fibers, which could provide damaged ...
Biochemistry
Feb 4, 2022
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124
Researchers at Utah State University are using silkworm silk to grow skeletal muscle cells, improving on traditional methods of cell culture and hopefully leading to better treatments for muscle atrophy.
Materials Science
Mar 10, 2021
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645
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
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
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
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
Researchers at Tufts University's School of Engineering have developed a new bioinspired technique that transforms silk protein into complex materials that are easily programmable at the nano-, micro- and macro-scales as ...
Nanophysics
Feb 27, 2017
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18
Although mankind has been using silk for millennia, many aspects of its properties and molecular structure remain unknown. Now, a new study from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan reveals that ...
Materials Science
Jun 9, 2016
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21
