Can You Drink Spider Silk Milk?
WouterThe silk from spiders has been a valuable resource for humans for thousands of years. It’s strong and elastic, and it has properties that are ideal for medical uses, such as bulletproof vests. In addition, it’s waterproof. It’s also used for fabric, bicycle tires, and parachute fabric.
Attempts to farm spiders on a large scale have failed. But there’s a way to use their milk as a source of spider protein. And the company that created it says that it may be able to make the substance within a few years.
In fact, scientists have already tried to produce spider silk using goat milk. They call the process Bio-steel. But the Canadian-based company that produced it was unable to reach the market.
The company has bred goats that have been modified with a gene that causes them to produce spider silk. The process is similar to the one that’s used for hybrid grains. The spider gene is placed among DNA that prompts milk production in the udders of a doe.
When the gene is activated, it produces a special protein that is then dissolved in water. This special protein, called spin dope, is the same protein found in the spider belly. The protein is then spun into silk, which is stretched into strands.
The US Navy has backed Dr Lewis’s work. They funded his underwater spider silk research. He was also a participant in a Canadian spider silk project.
Until recently, it was believed that there was no feasible way to mass-produce synthetic spider silk fibers. But a German company announced that they could spin fibres with insect and arachnid silk combined. The result is an easy-to-handle material that has the same properties as natural silk, but is colored and dyed.
