Official News page 9

REAL LIFE NEWS: GENETICALLY MODIFIED WORM-SPIDERS

by Hazed

Question: where do you get silk?

Answer: from silkworms. It makes lovely clothes.

Question: what other creatures produce silk?

Answer: spiders. Spider-silk is one of the strongest fibres known to science and has a lot of applications, including next-generation bullet-proof vests. But there's a problem. Farming spiders and harvesting their silk is very, very hard, which has prevented spider-silk from being practical.

Until now. Scientists in Indiana have produced a genetically modified cross between a spider and a silkworm - a worm that produces spider-silk. They spliced specific bits of spider DNA into silkworms. The transgenic mutant worms still spin cocoons in regular silkworm style, but the silk they produce is much stronger.

Given that silkworm farming is well understood, this means it should be possible to start producing spider-silk in commercial quantities. Good news for people needing body armor because spider-silk would make it tougher and lighter. There are also possible applications with new structural building fabrics, high-tech clothing, better airbags, super-strong ropes, and much more.

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