https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/gene-edited-spider-silk?
Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, researchers modified the DNA of silkworms so that their silk-producing glands would instead create spider silk.
Chinese Scientists have introduced an innovative, green alternative to nylon and Kevlar
facepalm
Well, we have a horror movie intro right in the article.
Mi first realized that the experiment had been successful when he saw the silkworm’s eyes turning red under the microscope.
Spider silk breakthroughs have been a tech news staple since the nineties, as far as I can remember.
Never have seen a product that makes use of the special properties.
Production has been a real bottleneck. Also, I'm skeptical they got the actual strength right in this headline. It's strong, but it's still a biological material.
Edit: Yeah, it's half as strong per weight as a high-strength synthetic polymer, and weaker than normal steel on a volumetric basis. It stretches really far before it snaps though, which has implications for things like energy absorption.
Is it spider silk though? Can't have gene edited spider silk without gene edited spiders. This is gene edited silkworm silk. Or am I missing something about silk?
Yes, it’s spider silk. These silkworms are transgenic. Their silk-producing genes have been replaced by spider silk-producing genes.
I need a pair of jeans made out of this, or a nice shirt. Maybe work gloves? When will this hit the open market?
I need rolls of cloth from it like you can get fiberglass, kevlar/aramid, and carbon fiber.
I do wonder about it's strength to weight ratio though.
Like, it's 6x stronger than aramid fiber but if it's 6x heavier then it doesn't really help. Also how's it compare to carbon fiber?
I'm excited for companies to never utilize this indestructible fabric in things like clothes and socks, backpacks, straps, and anything else that tends to break or fray.
Check out the thought emporium on YouTube, that dude been working on yeast that make spider silk. Also tons of other cool projects