Recently, Chinese scientists have done a new study by adding spider silk protein to the DNA of silkworms, and then using gene editing technology to combine the two silk threads to obtain a new type of fiber.
This new fiber is amazing, with 6 times stronger than the Kevlar fiber used to make body armor, and has super tensile strength and toughness.
When netizens saw the news, they were all excited and expressed their opinions.
Some netizens said: "If you use this kind of silk to make a fishing line, then fishing will be much easier, and you don't have to worry about the fishing line breaking!" ”
Some netizens said: "You can load this kind of silk on a drone and use it to catch other drones, it feels amazing!" ”
Some netizens said: "With such strong toughness, it must be very good to use it to make cutting lines, you can try it!" ”
Some netizens said: "This is simply a tailor-made material for 'Hanging Weiya' and body armor, I look forward to its practical application as soon as possible!" ”
However, some netizens are worried about the cost of this new type of silk, hoping that under the premise of ensuring quality, the cost can be reduced so that more people can afford it.
What applications will this new type of silk have in our lives?
In addition to the advice given by netizens, I think it may also be used in textiles and clothing to make our clothes stronger and more comfortable.
silk
It may also be used in the medical and health fields, possibly in the manufacture of artificial tissues, sutures, and medical devices such as artificial ligaments and heart valves.
Heart valves
Sports and outdoor equipment may also be useful, such as making ropes, mountaineering equipment, etc.
It can also be used in the aerospace and automotive industries to make lightweight but high-strength components.
In electronic and optical devices, it may be used to manufacture flexible electronic devices, sensors, and optical fibers.
Finally, in terms of environment and sustainability, it may help us solve some problems, such as doing filtration and separation technology, biodegradable materials, and so on.
Although the performance of this new fiber is quite good, it may take a little effort to achieve mass production in real life.
The first is the issue of cost. Now the production cost of this new fiber is not low, and we have to find a way to reduce the cost before it can be used on a large scale.
The second is the issue of security. Although the strength of this fiber is quite high, it is not safe for human safety, and it needs to be studied and evaluated.
In addition, when producing and using this fiber, there are also environmental and sustainability considerations.
However, despite these challenges, the research by Chinese scientists brings new hope for the development of the field of super-biomimetic materials. I believe that in future research, these problems can be slowly solved, and this new fiber can also bring more surprises and changes to our lives. Let's look forward to this day coming sooner rather than later!