Page 39 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Harun Yahya

tering the duct, the silk consists of liquid proteins. In the duct, specialized
cells apparently draw water away from the silk proteins. Hydrogen atoms
taken from the water are pumped into another part of the duct, creating
an acid bath. As the silk proteins make contact with the acid, they fold and
form bridges with one another, hardening the silk, which is "stronger and
more elastic than Kevlar [. . .] the strongest man-made fiber," as Vollrath puts
it. 36
Kevlar, a reinforcing material used in bulletproof vests and tires, and
made through advanced technology, is the strongest manmade synthetic.
Yet spider thread possesses properties that are far superior to Kevlar. As
well as its being very strong, spider silk can also be re-processed and re-
used by the spider who spun it.
If scientists manage to replicate the internal processes taking place

To catch their prey, spiders construct exceedingly high-quality webs that stop a fly mov-
ing through the air by absorbing its energy. The taut cable used on aircraft carriers to
halt jets when they land resembles the system that spiders employ. Operating in exact-
ly the same way as the spider’s web, these cables halt a jet weighing several tons, mov-
ing at 250 kmph, by absorbing its kinetic energy.

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