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Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers (www.eurekalert.org)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Ah, Crispr-Cas9 is convenient.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Very interesting. But note that toughness is not a very meaningful metric for fibers. Nobody is wearing kevlar or dyneema clothes.

Given that silk is already established but fairly nich, I assume the same will happen for this fibre. Maybe it can replace kevlar, I don't know enough to say if that is realistic. Thermal stability will not be nearly as good, stiffness is unknown. Anyone got deeper insights?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If looking at strength alone, maybe everyday clothing can be made with less material... maybe.

Will have to wait and see if it can be made at industrial scale.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

We are probably near the minimum already, at least in terms of area/volume (rather than mass). Too few fibers and you're wearing a mesh net, and not a tee-shirt.