Sticky Business: Video Shows the Right Way to Extract Silk Glands from a Black Widow Spider
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - 13:04
in Physics & Chemistry
Dissecting a black widow spider to get its silk glands seems like a task fraught with peril. Luckily, for anyone who dares, now there is video from scientists to show you how it's done.Research labs do not want the silk glands of these infamous spiders for some kind of bizarre trophies. Spider silks are stronger than steel, and scientists across the globe are racing to develop synthetic fibers mimicking these silks for commercial, military and industrial applications, says biochemist Craig Vierra at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. [More]