Imagine a bee buzzing around at full speed being stopped in its flight by a fine strand of silk which should break on impact but doesn't. Yes this is the miraculous spider web strand better known as spider silk and by weight comparison is five times stronger than steel and twice as strong as artificial fiber; it is only one tenth the diameter of a human hair. The wonder doesn't stop here as spider silk displays many other reason defying properties like the ability to absorb high impact energy by stretching itself (elasticity) and has a breaking point significantly higher than any other known material.
The secret of the strength of the silk is its crystalline structure, made up of protein molecules and transformed from a liquid medium by the spider's spinning organs in to the wonder material. Spider silk is being researched upon and may be used in the future for as diverse and astonishing purposes like body armor, surgical sutures, parachute straps, sports racquets, athletic suits and even in suspension bridges.
The secret of the strength of the silk is its crystalline structure, made up of protein molecules and transformed from a liquid medium by the spider's spinning organs in to the wonder material. Spider silk is being researched upon and may be used in the future for as diverse and astonishing purposes like body armor, surgical sutures, parachute straps, sports racquets, athletic suits and even in suspension bridges.
