Super durable armor from spider silk

To be able to weave spider silk into super durable armor, US researchers are aiming to alter the genes of bacteria, plants or animals. From there, help produce enough amount of silk used in industry.

With the new gene discovery of the black widow spider, the scientists' idea of ​​creating a super-durable armor from silk of this spider is approaching reality.

Experts from the University of California, in Riverside, in a suburb of Los Angeles, have identified DNA and DNA sequences that are linked to the two most important proteins found in ' black, like' strands of black widows. (black widow) - tiny but extremely poisonous spider species are present in the area. It is these proteins that create the strength of the black widow spider. This discovery is an important achievement in a study being carried out by Professor Cheryl Hayashi and colleagues.

In a press release, the research team said the discovery will lead to the introduction of new materials for use in many different fields, such as industry, military, medicine, sports, etc .

This type of silk thread of black-spotted spider fruit is considered to be much better quality than the silk of other spiders, because it has a higher tensile strength and stretch. According to experts, this silk has a great ability to absorb energy.

The silk of the black-tailed spider spider has a much better quality than the silk of other spiders, because it has a higher tensile strength and stretch.(Photo: Dailymail)

Military, medicine and sports are very fond of the preeminent characteristics of this type of silk. They are eager to exploit its structural simulation capabilities to apply in the production of armor, medical equipment and sports apparel.

Dr. Nadia Ayoub, also from the University of California, predicts that the commercial application of this discovery is huge.Fibers with characteristics like black widow spider silk can be used to produce medical sutures, fabricate super-strong wires .

According to the research team, there are currently no products produced from raw materials that are black silk spider silk. Professor Hayashi said: 'Nothing is as good as strong silk fibers found in nature, like spider silk. In the future, we will get the same silk products because we have fully grasped the genetic formula '.

According to Hayashi, with the genetic diagram in hand, experts will produce these valuable proteins by inserting gene sequences into hosts such as bacteria, plants or animals.

Later, the team will seek to overcome the next challenge of finding ways to ' car ' those proteins into silk threads that have the same properties as the black widow spider.

Minh Quang