What Makes Spider Webs Tough As Steel 76
sciencehabit writes "A new analysis reveals the intricacies of spider web design, showing how the unique properties of its silk turn webs into flexible yet strong traps. Computer simulations reveal that heavy forces spread over the entire net rather than stay local. Real spider silk can be either stretchy or stiff at different times, which produces threads that flex and then snap in just the right way to avoid wrecking nearby spokes."
I for one (Score:0, Insightful)
welcome our new genetically-created-giant-super-spiders-to-make-building-material-for-us-but-then-fought-back overlords.
Re:Smack yourself with steel and then a spider web (Score:4, Insightful)
When was the last time you "hit your head" on a thread of steel 0.15mm in diameter?