A short-short in Investors Business Daily notes that the web of the Caerostris darwinii spider in Madagascar has been found to be tougher than any other known biological substance. A recent study learned that a single strand can absorb 10 times more energy than Kevlar, a synthetic fiber used in bulletproof vests. The strands are also twice as elastic as web strands from similar spiders.
Adrian Blair says
I’ve working with the Pentagon on this. So far, we can’t find a volunteer to lie down on a nest of these little guys long enough for them to weave a vest. Kidding! This is where my mind goes as I wait impatiently to open the Chestertown Store.
Of course these spiders are not to be confused with Cyttaria darwinii, or Darwin’s fungus. And no, it wasn’t a personal issue—it grows on trees.
~AB