spider silk
Web's building material
Spider silk is the protein fiber spun by spiders to construct webs, line burrows, wrap prey, or create egg sacs.
Remarkably strong and elastic for its weight, it has inspired research into synthetic versions for medical and industrial applications.
The bridge line of spider silk stretched across the gap.
Interwoven filament structure
- cobwebAbandoned spider silk
- threadFiber for stitching
- draglineHeavy digging machine
- strandThin fiber piece
filament · fiber · orb-weaver · spiral · mesh · lattice · spinneret · weave
Silk-producing appendage
Capable of elongation
- strongHaving great physical power
- elasticAble to stretch, rebounds
- flexibleAble to bend freely
- resilientAble to recover quickly
lightweight · sticky · tough · durable · stretchable · springy · recoil · pliable
Filmy, delicate material
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
- wispyThin and insubstantial
airy · feathery · sheer · diaphanous · filmy · fine · gauzy · intricate
Engineering applied to biology
- biopolymerNaturally produced macromolecule
- nanofibersUltrathin synthetic threads
- biocompatibleAccepted by living tissue
- material scienceStudy of substance properties
Medical wound closures
- body armorProtective garment stopping bullets
- bulletproofResistant to gunfire
- textileMaterial from woven fibers
- wound dressingProtective covering for injuries
parachute cord · fishing line · violin strings · optical fiber · protective clothing
web
Interwoven filament structure
strand · filament · fiber · orb-weaver · spiral · mesh · lattice · spinneret · weave · anchor
spinneret
Silk-producing appendage
- extrusionPushing through a die
- arachnidEight-legged wingless arthropod
- spinningRevolving around an axis
secretion · pyriform · protein · amino acids
tensile
Capable of elongation
resilient · lightweight · sticky · tough · durable · stretchable · springy · recoil · pliable · supple
gossamer
Filmy, delicate material
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
wispy · airy · feathery · sheer · diaphanous · filmy · fine · gauzy · intricate · iridescent
bioengineering
Engineering applied to biology
- biopolymerNaturally produced macromolecule
- nanofibersUltrathin synthetic threads
- biocompatibleAccepted by living tissue
material science · genetic engineering · transgenic · biomaterials
sutures
Medical wound closures
- body armorProtective garment stopping bullets
- bulletproofResistant to gunfire
- textileMaterial from woven fibers
wound dressing · parachute cord · fishing line · violin strings · optical fiber · protective clothing
- insect productsbeeswax, honey, propolis, royal jelly, shellac
- thin fibersgossamer, microfilament, nanofiber, carbon fiber, hair strand
- structural proteinscollagen, keratin, elastin, type I collagen, gelatin
- spidershuntsman, tarantula, web, tarantulas, black widows
- bird neststwigs, nest, sticks, aerie, grass
- Delicate Thingsbutterfly wing, bubble, soap bubble, eggshell, tissue paper