Move over, Spider-Man, your web-shooters may not be the only ones on the block anymore. Scientists have finally cracked the code on developing synthetic spider silk by modifying bacteria.
As reported by ScienceNews, it notes that “Engineers have tried for decades to create a synthetic mimic from genetically modified bacteria, yeast, and even goat milk, but have always fallen short.” But, this time, scientists have modified strand of E. coli bacteria and were successful, resulting in a material that is virtually identical to its natural counterpart.
“We can now use bacteria to produce something as good as nature,” says synthetic biologist Fuzhong Zhang of Washington University in St. Louis during an annual meeting for the American Chemical Society.
Source: IGN.com Scientists Can Now Make Synthetic Spider Web Silk