We’re all familiar with Spider-Man—the red-suited hero who swings through New York using spider silk that shoots from his hands. While Peter Parker has a radioactive spider to thank for his shooting webs, scientists at Tufts University have made their own version of liquid silk that solidifies and can pick up objects.
This discovery was made accidentally, says biomedical engineer Dr. Marco Lo Presti of the Tufts University Silklab. Lo Presti found that combining silk from a silkworm with dopamine and acetone made the silk change from a flexible liquid to a hardened fiber that attaches to objects.
Lo Presti joins guest host Kathleen Davis to talk about the possibilities of liquid silk adhesives, and the advancements he’d like to see to make the technology better.
Further Reading
- Try your hand at dissecting a silkworm cocoon.
- Check out our Silk Science spotlight.
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Segment Guests
Marco Lo Presti
Dr. Marco Lo Presti is a research assistant in Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available within one week after the show airs.
Meet the Producer
About Kathleen Davis
@katjacquelineKathleen Davis is a producer and fill-in host at Science Friday, which means she spends her weeks researching, writing, editing, and sometimes talking into a microphone. She’s always eager to talk about freshwater lakes and Coney Island diners.