Spin doctor

Machines that replicate the spinning action of spiders to produce man made spider-like silks five times stronger than steel and twice as elastic as nylon could be used to produce future medical implants.

According to Dr David Knight, a zoologist from Oxford Biomaterials, scientists have long been interested in spider silk. ‘It’s super-strong, super tough, and very stable at high temperatures. It can be made to conduct; it can be made magnetic and it’s ecologically friendly.’

The process by which spiders produce such a useful material using renewable materials at room temperature and low pressure is equally attractive, he said.

Knight was speaking at a recent meeting of the London Zoological Society devoted to biomimetics — an area of research that copies mechanisms from nature to create new materials and technologies.

He drew particular attention to the silk produced by the Golden Orb web spider. Its silk, six times stronger than high-tensile steel, five times tougher than Kevlar, and exceptionally elastic, is also biocompatible and thus highly desirable for a range of surgical applications.