SUMMERY
At the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wyoming, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. scientists are genetically altering silk worms to produce spider silk. Threads from spider-web, are stronger, more durable, and more resiliant than traditional silk. The stronger material could soon be practical for biomedical applications like wound-healing bandages, natural scaffolds for tendon and ligament repair, bulletproff vests, atheletic clothing, and automobile airbags. The material will be easily marketed for its many advantages, but will most likely remain pricely until it becomes easier to mass produce.
OPINION
I've actually given thought to the idea of spider silk. I never heard of it as a reality, but I did wonder if it were possible to string the webs into threads and knit them. I've never felt real silk either, so it would be even cooler to get to touch spider silk. Though i wonder why they couldn't just harvest the webs from the spiders themselves. Maybe the silkworms just produce more silk than the spiders, I don't know. But, I really don't have a problem with genetic altering like this. It's moving the market forward and giving people jobs. We've nothing to complain about.
BRITTANY BURNS
http://www.macroevolution.net/artificial-spider-silk.html
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