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
The egg sac silk of the cocoon stalk of the cave spider Meta menardi is the most stretchable egg sac silk yet tested, according to a study published Feb. 8 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
Plants & Animals
Feb 8, 2012
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Spiders' silk is already tough stuff—just ask your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman.
Nanomaterials
Aug 14, 2017
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185
In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science, two engineers at the University of California, San Diego, identify three characteristics of biological ...
Materials Science
Feb 14, 2013
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1
One of the central features of courtship behavior in the nursery-web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) is that the male must have a gift on hand in order to make a good impression on the females. So before setting out to look for ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 1, 2018
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130
Scientists have long turned to nature for inspiration and innovation. From unlocking the secrets of spider silk to create super-strong materials to taking hints from geckos for new adhesives, clues from the natural world ...
Engineering
Mar 8, 2011
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Researchers at The University of Akron are again spinning inspiration from spider silk—this time to create more efficient and stronger commercial and biomedical adhesives that could, for example, potentially attach tendons ...
Polymers
May 16, 2014
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Climbing is possibly one of the riskiest things an adult tarantula can do. Weighing in at anything up to 50gm, the dry attachment systems that keep daintier spiders firmly anchored are on the verge of failure in these colossal ...
Plants & Animals
May 16, 2011
11
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Single women aren't passive when it comes to the world of dating, and neither are female spiders, according to researchers at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2015
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14
Scientists at the UK's Bangor and Oxford universities have achieved a world first: using spider-silk as a superlens to increase the microscope's potential.
Materials Science
Aug 19, 2016
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