Spider Silk at its Best
Fibres are long known materials that are basically strong and has the capacity to stretch. This time, spider silk is said to have more strength than our known fibers available today.
The search for the strongest material available on Earth whether synthetic or not has not yet been shelved. Every year, there are experiments and explorations being done in order to look for a particular material that is ever abundant in the natural Earth that has the molecular value and composition able to withstand most stresses and circumstances present. This challenge has not stopped especially that strong materials and fibers are very important for medical and military use – the two important government entities that are most currently being advanced as globalization is at its most competitive stage.
Among many materials, fibres are the most celebrated and explored. Because of nanotechnology and other applied science, fibres these days are becoming stronger than metals. Aramid fibers is so far one of the most used and applied fibers in the world being so famous with the Kevlar vests. Fibres are often wanted by many because of its lightweight characteristics and its high tensile resistance. This time, scientists are eyeing the silk for having the same characteristics. Silk are known as basic ingredient in making fine clothing, gowns, and other workwear uniforms and apparels. Of all the silks available on Earth, scientists believe that the silk produced by spiders – those they used in making their web – is the strongest among its size. There was even a draft calculation that states that if there can only be a group of spiders who can make football field sized spider web, it can definitely hold a thrusting jumbo jet.
Spider silk often known as gossamer is made up of protein fiber. Though there is already one textile that has been purely made of spider silk found in Madagascar, the production of spider silk for similar usage is definitely a hard one. As one scientist proclaimed that spiders cannot be farmed because they eat and fight each other so as their silk cannot easily be extracted. For the part of those who made the textile in Madagascar, it took them about a million of spiders and 4 years to actually produce the said cloth.
However just this month, a biologist somehow discovered a way on how to mass produce a spider web. But instead of using spiders he made use of goats. Randy Lewis of the University of Wyoming together with his team made use of the genes of the golden orb spider in order to be used implanted to the goats. The golden orb spider is the same species of spider that has been used in Madagascar. Lewis and his team implanted the silk making genes into goats and the goats produce the silk through its milk. According to Lewis, because of the experiment they can now produce spider silk in huge quantities. It is said that a drop of the protein from the goat can extract about four meters of strand.
Unfortunately, unlike the Madagascar spider silk extraction, this experiment of Lewis is not aimed for the use of making workwear uniforms or apparels but primarily for medical use. He explained that these spider silks will replace the tired and strained tendons and ligaments and even bones.
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George Foerstel believes that great inventions and discovery will help our world progesss. Now he talks about a spider silk that can be produce to make workwear uniforms.
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