"Spiders and silkworms spin their strong webs by precisely controlling the solubility of silk proteins, according to a new study published in Nature.

In their experiments, Tufts University bioengineers David Kaplan and Hyoung-Joon Kim found that the creatures create the material by increasing and decreasing the amount of water in the silk protein. This discovery could help bioengineers mimic the web-spinning process to artificially produce silk-like compounds for a range of usues, including bulletproof clothing and replacement tissue."

From a Baltimore Sun article.

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