Scientist Mix Spiders with Goat

News.com.au ^ | 6-23--02

[dogbyte12]

LONDON: As comic book hero Spider-Man fills cinemas with his webby adventures, prepare to meet an equally astonishing creation - Spidergoat.

Scientists have combined the DNA from a goat and spider to create an animal which produces silk that is five times stronger than steel. The fibre, derived from the goats' milk, harnesses the huge strength of silk spun by spiders.

The breakthrough could be worth millions because the silkmilk fibre can be used to make body armour which is far tougher than normal bullet-proof vests – while weighing little more than a cotton shirt.

The hybrid goats were created by the insertion of a single gene from an orb-weaving spider into a fertilised goat egg.

The amazing genetically-engineered goats are outwardly normal, but carry the gene responsible for production of a spider silk protein. Each goat is only 1/70,000th spider, but when fully grown the females produce a milk which can be treated to produce a fibre with spider-silk strength.

The animals are believed to be the first commercially-viable creatures made from the DNA of two species.

Nexia, the Canadian biotech company which produced the goats, hopes the fibre – dubbed Biosteel – could take a large chunk of the billion-dollar market in industrial fibres.

[Maceman]

We are playing God.

We started doing that when we invented agriculture. Now we're just getting better at it.

[Mad Dawgg]

"I find it kind of cool. Soldiers will appreciate the lightweight armor."

Yea, But who wants to wear Armor that smells Like a goat?

[Paul Atreides]

The only way they could look worse is to see them in person. That is something I would not wish on you my friend.....except, if you have a car load of rotten vegetables. ;-)

[Paul Atreides]

Yea, But who wants to wear Armor that smells Like a goat?

That reminds me; I wonder if that is what Old Crusty is made of.

[Paul Atreides]

It would be interesting to see this used in buildings as well.

[Drew68]

This is really cool. Very creepy, but really cool.

[abishai]

The silk is okay and all, but anyone got a good idea how to keep the goats from climbing on the ceiling?

[dogbyte12]

I wonder if it could be used for ships. It does break down over time with exposure to moisture, but embedded, sheathed in plastic it should be just fine.

I am just thinking of just little ways it can be used to cheat on weight. Tent making, rope making, so many possible usages. Police usage as well. They already have a "gun" that fires a web to subdue subjects. You could cast a wider net(bad pun)by packing something this light. How much would police officers enjoy being able to fire a net gun, and cast a net 100 feet wide that envelops everything in it's path?

[Paul Atreides]

Imagine using it in stronger suits for the astronauts and the uses on the space shuttle.

[punster]

I have a better idea, splice in some genes from pigs into the common food animals for Iraq. Then make sure the modified animals are disseminated into Iraq. Hopefully, when the strain is fully integrated into the herds of food animals in Iraq, Sodamned Insane will have to worry about eating pork, with every bite he takes.

[Kozak]

Materials engeneers have been salivating over uses for spider silk IF IT COULD BE MANUFACTURED IN QUANTITY for decades. This could revolutionize all kinds of industry, imagine a substance 5 times stronder then steel at a fraction of the weight that can be cheaply produced. This patent could be huge for the company.

[Skooz]

This is too freaking weird.

[Skooz]

You wanna buy some stock?

[Ragin1]

"Scientists have combined the DNA from a goat and spider to create an animal which produces silk that is five times stronger than steel"

If this is true, forget kevlar, I want some of that.

[Bandolier]

Agreed, but my method insures that women and children won't be harmed, only the adult males. A black widow kills the male who mates with her.

[Risky Schemer]

who wants to wear Armor that smells Like a goat?

I've heard that in the days of saturday morning serial westerns they made cowboy chaps for kids out of goatskin. They were fine until they got wet. When that happened the neighborhood dogs would start barking and following the kids wearing them.

[dogbyte12]

I wonder if you can invest in this company. Also, what isn't addressed is the cost of the process. What kind of yield do they have? I bet the yield is very low. You might need a ton of milk to produce 1 pound of the spider thread.

They do need to ramp up their herd really quickly. If goats, why not cows who produce more milk? I keep thinking of military usage though. Replacing body armor, kevlar helmets, replacing rope. This will make soldiers so grateful. Again, if it can be imbedded in plastic... alot of military equipment can be seriously shrunk in weight making us that more mobile. How about a tank that weighs 1/4 as much as it does now at three times the speed with the same amount of armor protection? Aircraft made with this stuff.

Or we could have goats catching flies in trees. One or the other ;)

[Godel]

We are playing God.

We're playing God when we do organ transplants or blood transfusions. You're just afraid of something new because you don't understand it.

[Caipirabob]

I'm just waiting for the first man-made freak to produce an anti-body which is completely leathal to humans. One good sneeze and they'll wipe out Seattle (now that's progress!)