The softest / strongest / most elastic fabric in the world?

[Isaac Sauvage]

this tapestry is now finished.

The first panel that we wove, we were quite stunned by the fact that it sounded a bit like guitar strings, pinging like metallic guitar strings. I mean, it is a very, very unusual material.

...We never broke a single strand, yet the tapestry is as soft as cashmere.

WP:

[Spider silk] is similar in tensile strength to nylon and biological materials such as chitin, collagen and cellulose, but is much more elastic, in other words it can stretch much further before breaking or losing shape.

last i remember, scientists somewhere were working to replicate spider silk, a potential miracle fiber.

 

[elton]

The spider collectors are clearly mad people. Jeez, did ya see the size of 'em.

 

[faralos]

so how much would it cost? being a new invention and all, I bet it is prohibitively expensive, sounds cool if they can market it for the masses wow! i just read that article! 500 grand huh? ok I guess it is NOT going to be mass-produced anytime soon

 

[sleepy]

I was under the impression that spider silk contained an anesthesia. I wonder if they used anything to neutralize it or???

 

[bob]

That thing would be priceless to collectors!

Great thread.... :)

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

I was under the impression that spider silk contained an anesthesia. I wonder if they used anything to neutralize it or???

maybe you're thinking of spider silk's antiseptic qualities (i didn't know about this til just now... just looked it up)

in terms of anaesthesia, i would guess you are thinking of spider venom... specifically injected to paralyse the victim... which probably makes them feel fantastic as they are being wrapped up. (there are a lot of worse ways to go)

on a side note, here is something which may or may not be of interest- "japanese bug fights", ie watch a praying mantis fight a tarantula in a cage match, etc:
http://www.japanesebugfights.com/

as an animal-lover i have a hard time watching this stuff, although the young boy in me is fascinated by it and the zoologist in me says that arthropods probably don't suffer much due to the way their nervous systems are set up (localised nerve ganglial hubs as opposed to big brains). but still...

 

[sleepy]

Probably misinformation about the anesthetic silk, though according to this page from The University of Bristol, the "Spitting Spider" sprays glue-venom to capture their prey. Spider Glue is one form of "spider silk", and the site claims there are a total of seven types of silk produced by seven different forms of spider silk glands, though no one species of spider possesses all seven (see NavBar: Properties, Uses and Production:

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/spider/project.htm

Spitting Spiders Par. 2:

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/spider/page5.htm

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

nice info. i knew about the seven glands but not the spitting spider. wolf spiders are known to be rovers and hunters (ie, not web maintainers), but spitting spiders kind of take it to a new level!

reminds me of "nasute termites", who have a nozzle on top of their head and spray a glue to immobilise the enemy... usually ants, their bitter enemies. unfortunately they often become permanently stuck to their enemy.

pics:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=nasute soldier&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi