When they weave their webs, spiders pull their silk threads. New simulations show stretching during spinning causes the protein chains within the fibers to align and the number of hydrogen bonds ...

Spider silk, already known for its exceptional strength, reveals an astonishing manufacturing process. Researchers have discovered that stretching plays a key role in the solidity of these ...

Nephila clavata, a golden orb weaver. — Image by Kinori via Wikimedia / Public Domain Nephila clavata, a golden orb weaver. — Image by Kinori via Wikimedia / Public Domain A new study finds the amount ...

Understanding how the stretching process strengthens spider silk is a key part of helping design stronger, biodegradable, silk-inspired materials for various applications. When spiders spin their webs ...

Scanning electron microscopy images of fibers from engineered spider silk. To validate their computational findings, the Northwestern team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein ...