Monday, February 6, 2012

What Makes Spider Webs Tough As Steel

Posted by samzenpus  

from the it's-all-how-you-spin-it dept.
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."

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