and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive? Phan Thi Thuan's family have been making silk for generations, growing and ...

In this case, we’re talking about genetically modified yeast that produces spider silk. If that sounds like a lead-in to some Spiderman jokes and sci-fi references, you are correct on both accounts.

He briefly considered metal wires, layered metal sheets, and layered “goldbeater’s skin”, which is a material made from ox intestine. However, he devoted most of his attention to silk.

Spiders make their webs from silk, a natural fibre made of protein. Not only does spider silk combine the useful properties of high tensile strength and extensibility, it can be beautiful in its own ...