We have all seen spider webs – on the trails we walk on or in the corner of our bedrooms catching flies and other insects. Author Rachel Ehrenberg writes about the other known and possible uses of animal silk. The material insects use to spin webs or create cocoons is called silk.
Silk from insects like spider or silkworms is extremely strong and natural. Researchers are looking into ways to use natural silk for additional uses. Bulletproof vests and parachute cords are two possible ways. But the silk could also be used inside our body – to protect cells, like bone or nerve cells while they regrow and repair themselves.
Spider silk is so valuable that scientists are trying to find additional ways to produce it – like altering the DNA of a goad so that it produces silk proteins in it’s milk. I suppose that this would make it a lot easier to harvest than getting it from the spiders.
I think this is a really interesting topic – but I think I would be nervous to let them plant silk producing spider genes into my body no matter what the possible positives are!
Read the article and see what you think for yourself.
Discussion Questions:
- Can you think of additional ways that strong and stretchy fibers could be used to help us on the outside of our body?
- If the science was mastered – do you think you would use silk fibres to help your body from the inside? Say it could help repair a broken bone?
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ReplyDeleteI think that is a really cool topic, i have to admit that i would be scared to use it like for an example i would be scared to be on a parachute with the strings as spider silk, but mabye it would work, lets wait and see....
ReplyDeleteSome ways you can use the silk could be for soccer nets cause its really strong, also for the strings of the tennis rackets.I actually have no clue if it would work for you body but if it worked for your bones hat would be really cool cause its all natural. Now that i have heard this i would really like to know if it could work to fix your bones, or for objects.
Can you imagine if we could use it to heal bones like the question said. Do you think your bones would become stronger and possibly not break as easy!!!!!That would be so sick!
ReplyDeleteI agree that being on a parachute which hold you by spider webs is a little scary but if its strong i will trust it.
ReplyDeleteFor the goat part it would be better if they take out the milk making DNA of the goat, they should remplace it by the spider silk DNA. it would make more silk. I like the idea. I think its neat.
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ReplyDeleteI think that we could do a lot of things with the silk of the spider I want to know if it work before to use it, but if it work it is sure that I'm going to use it for my self
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that can help every body and I think to that can help the doctor to have less people who had broken bone and thinks like that..
Well for the first question if you can get it into your skin and you'll be bullet proof. If you fall then you wouldn't break a bone or scrape your knee.
ReplyDeleteYes because people who broke their spines then they can get repaired so he can walk again or do somthing physical. Also if you can make another bone for a person who is born without any hands or any legs then we can make them a new leg bone and use muscel cell to produce the the muscel that he needs.
I think they should try to make the bone stronger they have nothing to lose.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is really cool because it has a lot of different way that spiders could help humans like what spencer and jessica (soccer nets) and AC (parachute lines) its all cool!!!!!!!./
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is very interesting, but I would never ever let them repair my bones with spider silk!!!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Jessica on the other ways that they could use and I would also be freaked out using a parachute with strings of spider silk.
I think they should do clothes out of silk. If it's so strong that it holds parachute it can support clothes i guess. I realy like when they came out with the idea of making ties out of silk but its because its rare that it cost so much. But a lot of them are realy nice.
ReplyDeletei didnt know that slink can protect there body thats pretty interesting and the slink is very strong but what is made of?
ReplyDeletei dont think silk can help are bones because silk help little spider and i will be not so strong for are body
ReplyDeleteWell tom i think it can help them because its prettly strong for a little thing. I like the article thanks.
ReplyDeletecool article
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Jessica. I would also be very scared to use a parachute with the spider silk as the strings, I don't think I would trust the spider silk and I also think they would be great to use in sports like what Jessica said about the tennis rackets and the soccer nets..etc
ReplyDeletebut I have to say that I don't think it would for the bones but I for sure don't know that.
ho i think you are right about this i just understand what they sade and yeah i tihnk finaly that can help us a lot because imagine i break my arms and all the silk go on the break bone and just do the same form of befor i will be good
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot to mention that I love the article!
ReplyDeletebut i dont think that can help like every case like a broken neck
ReplyDeleteme too its great
ReplyDeletetom i would think so either because if there is a case of broken neck the person die automaticly so i wouldn't think so
ReplyDeleteoops thats right!sorry i didnt think about this.
ReplyDeletei dont think we can use the slik for a parachute becuase there is old in it and air will pass
ReplyDeletebut the soccer net will be pretty sick
ReplyDeletei think they should use it for Slingshots it could be very usefull.
ReplyDeleteAlex I agree with you, i think the person would die automatically too.
ReplyDeleteThere would be no time for the use of the spider silk.
i really like the topyc becouse i don't know that a little animal like that can do things that strong i will be asome if you can use silk for repearin parts of the body instead of usin other people things
ReplyDeletei dont think so we dont need slink shot pretty much but like i dont know it will be nice like blanket for like people who dont have a lot of money and they can sleep on somethig
ReplyDeleteFirst I'd like to say that this article is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteSecond, the parachute doesn't really seem like a good idea, but thats just me. I think they would break if they are used too much, maybe they can be used once or twice.
Finally, I really do think that it will work for fixing the bones because spidersilk is a all-natural material.
and I really agree with tom.
ReplyDeleteyeah my idead was good !
ReplyDeleteBut tom think about it its very expansive. You need to have a lot of money to buy a blanket. Imagine a silk tie is like 100$ so how much would be a blanket.
ReplyDeleteYeah, actually i didnt really think about that.... but it is still a good idea tom!
ReplyDeleteif that can repare humain bones so it can repare aniamls two and it will be good
ReplyDeleteanimals sorry for the mistaque
ReplyDeletei just checked it out on internet and its something like 450$ and over for a blanket.
ReplyDeletei agree with charly that she agrees with tom its a smart idea
ReplyDeleteit could protect from cancer too they havent tried that wet but if it protect cells it cann some how help.
ReplyDeleteit woul be good if that can protect people from cancer because millions of people will get there live safe.
ReplyDeleteit woul be good if that can protect people from cancer because millions of people will get there live safe.
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ReplyDeletetrue tom!
ReplyDeletewow i cant belive that you can make a pullet proof vest out of silk! i didnt know silk was that strong. But i do think its really wierd how they are trying to put silk in a goat tho...
ReplyDeleteOk well this article is pretty cool ... But seriously i really dont think we should be cross breading spiders with goats. That might not end to well like an 8 legged goat ... or something. Besiddes what would we call it a spoat or a gidder. But if it works it would be awseom to see everything we could make with it ... and if it is as strong as they say it is they should make safety nets from circuses and etc...
ReplyDeletePS guys your comments r pretty good but ya as alex said it would be really expensive .... so ya just think about that...! =D
Ok about my older comment ive noticed a flaw in this whole system.
ReplyDeleteSpider silk is known for its strengh... but sadly also for its stickyness. So when thinking about it it would be really difficult to make things out of them because they would all be sticky and imagine if you were to build a safety net out of it ... it would be like a human sisez spideer web....
yeah thats true a aggre because its real thats slink stick but with that you can make good things like i dont know someone have a good idead ?
ReplyDeleteit would be really cool if it could maje our bones stronger nut i wouldnt use it until the dooctors say it wouldnt hut our blood
ReplyDeleteit would be really cool if it could maje our bones stronger nut i wouldnt use it until the dooctors say it wouldnt hut our blood
ReplyDeleteI think is a very cool article. I didn't know that the spider silk could be used for many different things.
ReplyDeleteI think they should try to heal bones whith the silk, it would be so cool!!
I didn't know etheir before reading this arcticle that spider webs do anything in real life. I thought they were just made to be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if we could use the silk in our bones even if they are not broken ,so we can reforce and protect them.
ReplyDeletei was sure the spider web was to kill a the insect who wants to come in your house because they get stock
ReplyDeleteyes i agree with you tom be cause they dont see it and go right into it i wouldn't like to be the insects
ReplyDeletespider seems so week but realy its so srong
ReplyDeletei think we need to better thing then a parachute with silk like the bones !
ReplyDeletei agree fred i SEEMS so weak but these insects produce very good stuff.
ReplyDeleteyeah i agree me 2 but i tihk a parachute with it no body would want to try
ReplyDeletei say they try to make cars out of those because its so light but its prettly strong.
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ReplyDeletewe should make a elmet out of spider silk
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ReplyDeletegood idea fred
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very interesting, i have to admit this is way beyond technolgie i thought wire cables were the strongest and to think its all organic and its stronger.To have thought to put spider DNA in a goat thats umbelivable maybe if goats can produce meters of it a day it will be the new rope? but the only thing i am concerned is for those people who are scared of spiders to have spider silk in them they would freak.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David that people would frak out if the had spider silk in them and even if it would repair a bone, I don't think I would use spider silk
ReplyDeleteDAVID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i agree with ou
ReplyDeleteit is very scary to think that your hold by a spiders webs while in the air. I Liked this article
ReplyDeleteit is very scary to think that your hold by a spiders webs while in the air. I Liked this article
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