Spider silk: thousands of nano-filaments and dollops of sticky glue.
Some spiders use glues while others deploy strands of fine filaments for fixing flies. Recent work has provided new insights into the mechanical properties of these nano-scale ropes.
Vollrath
Fritz
F
Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. fritz.vollrath@zoology.oxford.ac.uk
D000269:Adhesives / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004175:Diptera; D049329:Nanostructures; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D013112:Spiders / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D000269:Adhesives; D047011:Silk