Posted on 10/11/2016 10:56:17 AM PDT by BenLurkin
By feeding silkworms carbon nanotubes and graphene, researchers enabled the insects to spin super silk far tougher, more durable and conductive than normal threads opening up new possibilities for fabrics, medical implants and more.
...
According to Scientific American, the reinforced silk is far stronger and able to withstand 50 per cent more stress before the strands break.
Whats more, they found that after heating the fibres to high temperatures, the threads were able to conduct electric currents far better and had a more ordered crystal structure.
The amount of carbon nanomaterials fed to the insects is tiny, just 0.2 per cent by weight of their food and avoids the need to dissolve the carbon components in toxic solvents, as would be needed to treat normal silk.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
This is cool.
Now if these silkworms knew about evolution, they would have been looking for graphene to eat way before now.
/s over.
This really IS cool.
Sssshhhhh. Don’t let PETA know about this. They might fight to get it stopped because it is “cruel” to make the silkworm larvae ingest something other than all-natural, organic food!/s
I think, as long as they are fed “free range” carbon nanotubes, it’ll be OK w/PETA. They are an understanding gaggle, err, bunch.
What happens if you feed lightning bugs uranium?
Next step - Creating Sammy the Silkworm, and a Silkworms Have Feelings Too campaign.
So if I get my gal a pair of silk/carbon nanomaterial panties will it turn her on?
L8r
Chimeras. Maybe Gore was right about one thing in his life...there is a manbearpig.
And, of course, the “Don’t Wear Silk” Campaign.
And a nifty theme song too!
I remember something about goats that were genetically modified to produce a superior silk from their milk.
Silk-worm man
Silk-worm man
Does whatever
a silk-worm can
Can he swing
From a web?
No he can’t.
He’s a worm.
Look out.
He is
a silk-work man.
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