Spiders weave a web even more tangled than originally thought—at least on the nanoscale level, according to a new study performed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.
Using high-energy X-rays provided by Argonne's Advanced Photon Source (APS), scientists peered into the structure of orb spiders' dragline silk. This is the chief thread that allows them to dangle precipitously off branches and window frames.
"Spider silk has a unique combination of mechanical strength and elasticity that make it one of the toughest materials we know," said Professor Jeffery Yarger of Arizona State University, one of the lead researchers of the study.
And it's just a protein. To read more, click here.