Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — Utah State University is looking to turn the science of spider silk into a booming business. Researchers are now turning the stronger than steel material into a product for market.
For biology professor Randy Lewis, it all started with an idea.
"Our team has always had in mind that we had something to make a product out of and we needed to work to try to make that happen," he said.
A new production facility will help Lewis and his team mass-produce synthetic spider silk; tiny threads that, pound-for-pound, are stronger than steel.
Lewis’ research started nearly 30 years ago, moving to Utah State University in 2011. His students keep spiders in the lab to study up close.
"It took me a little while. That first spider-holding was really difficult,” said research student Cameron Copeland. “But, now I’ve held them for up to 30, 40 minutes at a time."
The unique properties of the webbing are what really make the difference for some.
"Stretchy … or you can make it stronger. You can just increase the tensile strength. You can go through a lot of different things just by manipulating a small code," said another researcher, Michaela Hugie.
There are no animals involved, just two 500-liter fermenters that can produce 300,000 yards of the silk in a 24-hour period. That's about 10 spools worth.
I think if nothing else, we've really come to appreciate what an amazing organism the spider is.
–Dr. Randy Lewis, USU biology professor
Researchers now get most of their spider proteins from the milk of genetically altered goats and bacteria. Lewis confirms that several companies are already interested in seeing what the material can do.
"We have everything from composite materials, to sporting goods, to medical devices, in terms of the fibers," Lewis said.
It's hard to say how the endeavor will work out, but Lewis concludes one thing is for sure — that the tiny strands have led to some major discoveries.
"I think if nothing else, we've really come to appreciate what an amazing organism the spider is."
