It all began with a bet at a conference in Italy in 2013. Nicolas Vogel, Ph.D., then a postdoctoral fellow in Joanna Aizenberg's lab at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard's ...
Materials Science
Aug 17, 2017
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73
Spiders build webs, shelters and egg sacs from fine tough silk fibers. To apply these fibers, they must be properly attached to substrates or other threads and must cope with loading in highly-variable directions.
Plants & Animals
Apr 13, 2017
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4
Supple, light and biodegradable but stronger than steel: researchers said Monday they have succeeded in producing synthetic spider silk, one of nature's strongest materials.
Biochemistry
Jan 9, 2017
1
825
EPFL scientists have developed a new type of composite thread that varies in stiffness depending on its temperature. Applications range from multifunctional robots to knitted casts, and even tunable medical devices.
Materials Science
Oct 27, 2016
1
159
A spider commonly found in garden centres in Britain is giving fresh insights into how to spin incredibly long and strong fibres just a few nanometres thick.
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2015
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753
The development of a new organism from the joining of two single cells is a carefully orchestrated endeavor. But even before sperm meets egg, an equally elaborate set of choreographed steps must occur to ensure successful ...
Biotechnology
Oct 23, 2014
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0
University of Guelph researchers have unravelled some of the inner workings of slime produced by one of nature's most bizarre creatures – hagfish.
Materials Science
Apr 4, 2014
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0
Imagine trying to pitch a tent in a stiff wind. You just have it secured, when a gale lifts the tent—stakes and all—and carries it away.
Environment
Mar 22, 2013
1
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A spiders silk is strong and more elastic and has a large range of possible medical applications. However, spiders have a history of being territorial and prone to cannibalism, so the idea of having a large ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- The next generation of communications systems could be built with a sewing machine.
Engineering
Aug 22, 2011
2
0
