Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, researchers modified the DNA of silkworms so that their silk-producing glands would instead create spider silk.

Chinese Scientists have introduced an innovative, green alternative to nylon and Kevlar

  • nyhetsjunkie@beehaw.orgEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    Is it spider silk though? Can’t have gene edited spider silk without gene edited spiders. This is gene edited silkworm silk. Or am I missing something about silk?

    • SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml
      11·
      1 year ago

      Yes, it’s spider silk. These silkworms are transgenic. Their silk-producing genes have been replaced by spider silk-producing genes.

      • ForestOrca@kbin.social
        3·
        1 year ago

        I need a pair of jeans made out of this, or a nice shirt. Maybe work gloves? When will this hit the open market?

        • QuinceDaPence@kbin.social
          3·
          1 year ago

          I need rolls of cloth from it like you can get fiberglass, kevlar/aramid, and carbon fiber.

          I do wonder about it’s strength to weight ratio though.

          Like, it’s 6x stronger than aramid fiber but if it’s 6x heavier then it doesn’t really help. Also how’s it compare to carbon fiber?

  • Zagaroth@beehaw.orgEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    facepalm

    Well, we have a horror movie intro right in the article.

    Mi first realized that the experiment had been successful when he saw the silkworm’s eyes turning red under the microscope.

  • Akasazh@feddit.nl
    2·
    1 year ago

    Spider silk breakthroughs have been a tech news staple since the nineties, as far as I can remember.

    Never have seen a product that makes use of the special properties.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
      2·
      1 year ago

      Production has been a real bottleneck. Also, I’m skeptical they got the actual strength right in this headline. It’s strong, but it’s still a biological material.

      Edit: Yeah, it’s half as strong per weight as a high-strength synthetic polymer, and weaker than steel on a volumetric basis. It stretches really far before it snaps though, which has implications for things like energy absorption.

  • averyminya@beehaw.org
    1·
    1 year ago

    I’m excited for companies to never utilize this indestructible fabric in things like clothes and socks, backpacks, straps, and anything else that tends to break or fray.