On May May 25 I spoke spider silk with Willy Russo on 2SER’s Breakfast program. Here’s our conversation:https://2ser.com/spider-silks-to-give-leg-up-in-prosthetics-industry/?fbclid=IwAR0jmmMkN9qn2cGoxHBQyUDQ5YC4rdf6tjWruMbEJa5gHl3K1_leQaitpDY
Spider major ampullate silk (MA) is natures’ toughest fibre. There is thus immense interest among scientists across different fields in the attainment of an understanding about why and how spiders produce such amazing fibres. Accordingly there are now many publications on MA silk genetic expression patterns, secondary and tertiary protein structures, silk fibre physical and…
DetailsAnother application of spider silk we (in collaboration with Trish Flanagan and Pat Spicer) are exploring is its incorporation into wearables to create new adaptable features in different kinds of clothing and equipment.
Here Trish is isolating the silk collected from Trichonephila to weave them into yarns for hybridization with other fibres.
SSRL collaborator Anna-Christin Joel headlines the American Chemical Society’s youtube channel with the video “Spider combs tame unruly nanofibers”. See:
https://lnkd.in/ghViw6G
Fifty-five years on from Silent Spring the impacts on ecosystems and non-target beneficial organisms and human health from the widespread use of insecticides in agriculture is well documented. Insecticides directly reduce the populations of beneficial pollinating and pest killing invertebrates, such as bees and spiders, and indirectly affect soil and aquatic animal populations through runoff…
DetailsThe following article featured in the Sydney Morning Heral article, July 30, 2016:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/sonic-mysteries-of-spider-silk-open-pathways-to-new-synthetic-materials-20160728-gqgaqa.html
