Mystery of how black widow spiders create steel-strength silk webs further unravelled

[alex revision]

Mystery of how black widow spiders create steel-strength silk webs further unravelled

Researchers at Northwestern University and San Diego State University (SDSU) have better unraveled the complex process of how black widow spiders transform proteins into steel-strength fibers. This knowledge promises to aid scientists in creating equally strong synthetic materials.

Black widow spiders and their relatives, native to temperate climates in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America, produce an array of silks with exceptional materials properties.

https://phys.org/news/2018-10-myster...ength.html#jCp