Page 74 - The Miracle in the Spider
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74                    THE MIRACLE IN THE SPIDER


              keratin is changed. By the use of the control mechanism in the valves the
              diameter, resistance and elasticity of the thread can be altered while it is
              being produced. Thus the thread can take on the desired physical
              characteristics without the need for a change in its chemical composition.
              If any greater change to the thread is desired, another gland has to come
              into operation. The resulting tiny silk threads with their many features are
              then set in the desired way by expert use of the rear legs.
                   The ratios in which the products of six different glands are mixed are
              of the utmost importance. For example, when the sticky thread is being
              produced, if that material which gives the sticky quality is not used in
              sufficient quantities, it will lose the ability to catch insects. If it is used in
              too great quantities, the usability of the web will be reduced. For the
              thread to serve its purpose, the products of the other glands must
              necessarily be applied at the right level.
                   The result of these processes being successfully completed is spider
              silk, with its properties, all different from each other, and able to serve
              different functions. Spider silk is so strong that Vollrath, the zoologist,
              describes it in these words: "Spider silk is stronger and more elastic than
              Kevlar, and Kevlar is the strongest man-made fiber." 23
                   And these are not the only special qualities of spider silks. Unlike
              Kevlar, a kind of plastic used in the production of bullet-proof jackets
              because of its strength, spider silk can be recycled and used again and
              again.
                   The most important point here is that this most perfect product in the
              world, stronger than steel and more elastic than rubber, is made in the
              body of the spider. Even the largest textile factories, the most developed
              weaving establishments, and chemical laboratories fully equipped with
              the latest technology and researching into atoms have been unable to
              manufacture anything quite like spider silk. So how did a spider plan
              such an incomparable chemical make-up? After having planned it, how
              did it identify the source of the raw materials necessary for production
              and how did it settle on the six basic ingredients? What measuring
              equipment did it use to establish the proportions between them?
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