A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience
Spider silk could be an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
Researchers may have found a better alternative for providing skin grafts to wounds. It turns out that spider silk is legendary for its strength, as well as its possible healing properties. Tissue engineer Hanna Wendt at Medical School Hannover in Germany honed in on this and found that by creating an artificial skin spun from spider silk, we could have an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
Brown recluse spider
The brown recluse are one of the most feared spiders in North America. And now the brown recluse – or Loxosceles reclusa – spider population is growing, and predicted to expand into the northern states as a result of climate change.
Continue reading… “Brown Recluse Spider Population Boom Result of Climate Change”
Toxins in the banana spider’s venom contain a possible break through for erectile dysfunction.
Next time you spot a spider in your bedroom, don’t panic, as scientists say one of their species may actually help boost a man’s libido.
Continue reading… “Spider Venom the New Viagra”
Yellow sac spider
A spider that likes the smell of gasoline so much it chooses to build its webs in car emission systems was behind the recall of thousands of Mazda cars in the United States.
WAM-V
The odd but very “G” new thinking behind this odd styled water craft called the WAM-V or Wave Adaptive Modular Vessels. This spider looking vessel has many “G” features, some of the coolest ones we think are that the entire thing packs into a shipping container, uses very little fuel, runs shallow, and can be configured for many different uses. This isn’t your one function vessel, it can reconfigured in a very short time to take on a new mission. To use re-thinking tech to be smart is what “G” is all about. (pics)
Continue reading… “WAM-V: A Flexible and Adapatable Spider Ship”
Transgenic silkworms capable of spinning artificial spider silks.
US biologists may have one-upped Spiderman, genetically modifying silkworms to produce spider silk with properties similar to natural spider web, a stunning achievement with vast potential medical and textile use. (video)
Continue reading… “Genetically Modified Silkworms Produce Spider Silk”
Caerostris darwini, a giant orb spider and namesake of Charles Darwin, weaves a web of tremendous strength and size.
The antithesis of the itsy-bitsy spider, Caerostris darwini, a giant orb spider and namesake of Charles Darwin, weaves a web of super strength never before seen, says Dr. Todd Blackledge, Leuchtag Endowed Chair at The University of Akron.
Continue reading… “Giant Spider Weaves Web of Super Strength Never Before Seen”
Scientists have created a flat surface patterned after the body hair of spiders that refuses to get wet.
The surface also has the added benefit of being self-cleaning, since water does a pretty good job of picking up and carrying off dirt as it is being repelled.
This makes the material ideal for some food packaging, windows, or solar cells that must stay clean to gather sunlight, scientists say. Boat designers might someday coat hulls with it, making boats faster and more efficient.
Continue reading… “New Material Patterned After Spider Hair Refuses to Get Wet”
Brown Recluse Spider
As spring approaches and people return to outdoor activities, caution should be taken in areas of the country that are home to Loxosceles reclusa, also called the brown recluse spider. A new study from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that when patients present with sudden anemia, but the cause is elusive, the brown recluse spider should be part of the differential diagnosis, at least in parts of the nation where the spider is regularly found.
Continue reading… “Brown Recluse Spider is Sometimes to Blame in Unexplained Cases of Anemia”
A new giant orb spider has been discovered in South Africa.
A new giant spider – which has huge five-inch females and tiny males – has been discovered by scientists. The female of the new species of golden orb weaver spider has a body one and a half inches long with a leg span of five inches and weaves a web more than three feet wide.
Continue reading… “World’s Largest Web-Spinning Spider Found”
Spider silk is already tougher and lighter than steel, and now scientists have made it three times stronger by adding small amounts of metal. Continue reading… “Super Spider Silk”
