By Clay Dillow Posted 02.03.2010 at 5:29 pm 6 Comments

Honeybee Silk It's the bee's knees. Nick Pitsas, CSIRO

Good news for those of us that are into biomimicry. UAVs modeled after maple seeds, bone glue modeled after sea worms, shoes that let humans walk up walls like spiders -- our long wait for artificial insect silk could be nearing the end. Australian researchers have managed to pull threads of honeybee silk from a stew of transgenically-produced silk proteins, meaning cheaper, stronger lightweight textiles and composites with myriad uses could be around the corner.

The threads the researchers produced were as strong as threads of honeybee silk pulled straight form the insects themselves, threads which though thin are remarkably sturdy. Unlike silks that come from moths or spiders, honeybee silks consist of coiled coils -- a protein structure where multiple helices wrap around multiple helices. The result is a high-strength thread that can be further woven together to make all kinds of durable materials.

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Tags

Technology, Clay Dillow, aviation, bimimicry, composites, honeybee silk, insect silk, materials science
Researchers have been studying the genetics behind silk production in nature for years, but it was recombinant E. coli bacteria, not honeybees, that finally made artificial construction possible. The cells of bacterium produced the silk proteins which, with a little prodding, self-assembled into the proper structure to mimic honeybee silk.

Applications for the hearty little fibers are vast, including stronger textiles, lightweight composites for marine and aviation use, and medical uses like artificial tendons and ligaments.

6 Comments

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GTO
02/03/10 at 6:08 pm

Horray insects! I am one step closer to lightweight bionic limb with infinite more power than my other arm. No more phantom limb for me!

--GTO--

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rpenri
02/04/10 at 6:08 pm

Don't forget about the military sector. Everyone will want honeybee armor because it'll be lighter weight than conventional Kevlar and stronger, too (I'm guessing). If not, oh well.

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animemaster
02/05/10 at 8:31 pm

Oh and its edible (^_^)

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Marsapan
02/06/10 at 1:44 pm

Great now I'll be followed by bees when I wear my honeybee silk shirt. Although it could -bee- a good thing. Think of the self defense application for intimadating business people, joggers, and skinny highschool boys.

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beantown179
02/07/10 at 10:34 pm

This is great but its too bad we have that whole bee collapse thing going on. When businesses learn that treating nature with respect can actually result in increased revenue, we are all in for a great future. This study is fantastic. We could increase the strength of materials that are more bio-friendly.


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