Article Summary:'Does even more than a spider can'

Article Name: ‘Does even more than a spider can’
Publishing Date: Jan 29th 2009
Published in: The Economist (print edition)

URL: http://www.economist.com/research/articlesbysubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=348924&story_id=13013043

Spider silk is an evolutionary marvel, it being stronger than steel yet still managing to stretch by 40% of its length before breaking. Naturally, this has gained the interest of engineers who see the possibility of an entire new family of polymers derived from spider silk.
Studies have already identified the genes that determine the different properties of spider silk; more specifically, they have identified the DNA sequences that code for the proteins that determine them. Three main properties of spider silk are its hydrophilia (affinity to water), hydrophobia (aversion to water) and the ability of its proteins to spontaneously form larger structures. Dr. Kaplan and his colleagues from Tufts University have discovered that by rearranging the order of the DNA sequences coding for these properties, several new forms of silk can be produced. Also, proteins can be made to assemble themselves in different solvents, such as propanol, resulting in thicker fibers and spheres.
These new varieties of silk could have several potential uses. The spheres of spider silk can, for example, be used as capsules for medication which would deliver the medication over a longer period than regular capsules. Silks light weight also makes it ideal to make strong components in aircrafts, for example. To what extent this technology can effectively be applied on a material not meant for human use is another question.