How spiders fix their webs: Adhesion can vary depending on surface
Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - 13:32
in Physics & Chemistry
Spider silk is light and delicate, while incredibly resilient and tear-resistant. Understanding the structure and way of construction of these threads is a challenge. Now scientists have examined five different spider species regarding the adhesion and tensile strength of a particular silk they use to fix the main thread to a surface. As shown in their new study, the scientists found out that the substrate has a particularly significant impact on the silk’s adhesion.