If you dare venture into the world of the spider, you will certainly find
yourself in a realm where reality rivals science fiction. Imagine, as you peer
into this fantastic world, a spider that is capable of producing silk stronger
than steel. Now, imagine scientists placing the silk-producing genes of this
spider into a goat, so that goat would ultimately go on to produce spider silk - in
it’s milk. This spider-goat milk can now be used to produce
light-weight bullet proof vests. While this may sound like “utter” fiction, it
is true.
Take a look at the following two videos from YouTube:
Throughout the “I love Spiders” blog site, we’ll explore the lives and lore of
the planet’s most feared – and misunderstood – creatures on the planet: the
spiders and their creepy, crawly kin. We’ll cover subjects as diverse as
courtship and “child” care, to the amazing properties of spider silk. With each
post we’ll address an array of intriguing and odd questions: Why were spiders
fed mind-altering substances in the 1970’s? Why do some spiders deliberately
adorn their webs with the bodies of their victims? Prepare yourself to be
captivated in a web of intrigue....
References:
Cool things and Technologies (2011, March 5). Smart Material: Spider Silk[Video file]. Retrieved from
