Silk shows new strengths in composites

As the delicate threads of a spider's web tremble in the breeze, it might not seem an obvious candidate for a new generation of sustainable materials. But a handful of scientists and new enterprises around the world believe that we could learn a great deal from the expertise of spiders and silkworms in the spinning of remarkable threads. Efforts are now looking seriously at what silk fibers could offer composite materials in engineering and biomedical applications.