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Spider-Man Abilities, Greatly Bypassed by the Natural ModelsAn amazing material: spider silk |
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
2nd of May 2007, 08:16 GMT
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For the beginning, spiders are not insects. They are perhaps the most detested bugs for whom we have
a natural fear, just like in the case of snakes. Indeed, a spider bite could kill a monkey, so we have this deep imprinted in our genes.
In many cultures, including the Western, they are associated with sorcery. In others, big spiders (tarantulas) are considered a delicacy (like in Amazon or Thailand). But modern science revealed surprising and complex aspects of their biology. All this is built around a spider innovation that improved locomotion, insect hunting and home-building: silk.
A protein complex, spider silk is so strong that in a larger size it could stop a Boeing 747 in flight; it is harder (and at the same time elastic) than the bullet-proof Kevlar and its elasticity is higher than that of the nylon.
"All spiders spin at least one kind of silk and some spiders can produce seven different types," said Cheryl Hayashi, a University of California-Riverside biologist.
Due to this variation, strength and elasticity vary from species to species, in 39,000 variants (the number of known silk producing species).
"Dragline silk is the strongest silk because it supports the weight of the spider," said Randy Lewis from the University of Wyoming.
This silk binds the spider to the web and is used for hanging like a climber's rope while the arachnid drops below the web to avoid prey.
People think that the spider's web is a wagon-wheel shaped net with hard spokes.
"The center of the wheel, the capture spiral, is made from flagelliform silk that is covered with sticky adhesive droplets. Once dinner is caught, spiders use silk to wrap and immobilize their prey", Hayashi said.
"Spiders are incredibly fascinating in the way they make and are able to manipulate their silks. They can even recycle their silk by eating it-it's a good source of protein."
There are even tropical spiders that form huge colonies and make a common silk nest of many square meters. By genetic engineering, spider silk genes were put into the genome of the E. coli bacteria.
The engineered bacteria can synthesize chemically identical spider silk proteins.
"By combining different genes, we can create spider silk proteins with novel properties. And while "Spidey-sense" might be a comic-book fiction, some of Spider-Man's other abilities are ripped straight from nature," said Hayashi.
In 2006, researchers found that Costa Rican zebra tarantulas produced silk from their legs and that silk was used for increased adherence on the vertical plans, just like Spider-Man climbing the Manhattan's towering buildings. But there are spiders that use the silk for flying and in good wind and temperature conditions they fly hundreds of miles.
If we compare this to their size, Spider-Man's abilities look like childish plays.
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