Summary
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:
1. Can you think of additional ways that strong and stretchy fibers could be used to help us on the outside of our body?
2. 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?
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think that you can use silk for rope for rock climbing. It is stronger and very high qulality.
ReplyDeleteIf you dont have good quality is that your rope can break more easier (it is very dangerous).
I agree with J-S , but maybe it could be used to make clothes too who knows ? I think it would be wonderful that it could repair a broken bone and it actiolly seems possible because it has characteristics of healing cells and reproducing new ones so it may be possible that the silk could heal a broken bone.
ReplyDeletei agreee with them.
ReplyDeleteif the rope isn't strong we could fall off the hill, & i also think the silk would be good for tying teepee's for cree people. (:
those are very good ideas, another is that they could be used as astronauts' suits... think about it they're strong resistant and they can protect you from dangerous stuff in the space, like the changes in temperature.. i think that if the spiderwebs are so unique and special they should be only used to do very remarkable things to help the world and not to waist them in superficial things sucha as clothes
ReplyDeletei think it would help a broken bone to repair but would it help it get back together??????
ReplyDeletewow i think it would be really weird to have a spider web in my body! i find it weird that they could use spider webs for bullet proof vests too!
ReplyDeletei really like everybody's ideas,
ReplyDeletebut i think we would need allot of tiny strands of spider web to make a rope? or a bullet proof vest?
but its still possible! :)
what esl could we make with silk
ReplyDeletebecause this makes sence that you can make clothes could .but could it be dangerous to make rope out of spider silk!
i wouldn't want to have spider silk in my body to fix a bone, i'll use a cast!!
ReplyDeletehow could silk make a bullet proof vet???
I don't think that spider silk with help in the body. But it maybe it woul help in constructions
ReplyDeleteBoth natural and artificial silk-like substances could easily be used in linking flesh and skin to repair severed limbs and we could also use the same material to craft artificial organs as replacements and givers of specialty abilitys.
ReplyDelete