Spiders have been around for over 300 million years and are found in nearly every terrestrial environment. There are more than 40,000 species living today and each spins at least one type of silk. Each time a spider draws silk from its spinneret to create a new web, it also draws on more than 400 million years of evolution. Spiders have numerous silk glands inside their body that makes different types of silks. Spiders have evolved to produce a library of silks, each using a different combination of amino acids to address a particular functional need. Some silks are sticky, making them perfect to catch their prey. Most are proportionally stronger than steel and even tougher than Kevlar.
Spiders make good use of their many silks. The silks, which is also used as the safety drag line, is tougher than almost all biological and man-made materials. According to Steve Cranford, assistant Professor of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University,”there has to something about the material composition of silk that ideally suits it to make web-like structures.” The sticky spiral of the orb-web is composed of two different silks, one, glue and the other a highly stretchable fiber. The glue and the fiber are produced in separate glands and the spider dots the glue onto the fiber while building the web. Researchers around the world are working on skills spun by spiders from around the world.
Proteins like spider silk have inspired biomimetic research programs seeking to develop everything from a better heart stent to a lighter bulletproof vest. Billions of trial and error experiments ensure that the specific sequence of amino acids in structural web silk is ideally suited for its purpose. Researchers are drawing inspiration from spider silks to produce novel, protein-based, eco-friendly materials for use in medical, cosmetic, electronic, textile, industrial, and other applications. The potential is enormous, especially considering the mind-boggling diversity of spider and their skills.
Gurbani Gandhi
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