Spider silk is an excellent conductor of heat, according to a surprising new study released Monday.
Engineers tested the thermal conductivity of silk spun by golden silk orbweavers, a spider known for its distinctive golden web, and found the silk conducted heat better than silicon, aluminum and iron, all considered effective thermal conductors.
"This is very surprising because spider silk is organic material," Xinwei Wang, lead author and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, said in a statement. "For organic material, this is the highest ever. There are only a few materials higher - silver and diamond."