SPIDER silk, long noted for unusual strength and elasticity, maintains its strength even at extreme temperatures. The discovery boosts the idea of using spider-like silks for surgical stitches.
David Knight of the University of Oxford and his colleagues tested single strands of silk from the large orb-weaving spider Nephila edulis at temperatures between -60 掳C to 150 掳C. Knight found that over the entire temperature range the threads could stretch by at least 20 per cent before snapping (Advanced Materials, vol 17, p 84). “This is pretty wacky stuff,” he says.
Above 150 掳C the fibres became progressively weaker,…
