is useful not only for architects and artists but
also for arachnologists, evolutionary biologists,
ethnologists, physiologists, and engineers.
In this panel, Buehler discussed the molecular
structure of the proteins in spider silk and how
art and engineering can function as mutually
beneficial modes of discovery. He addresses this
topic in his book Biomateriomics, which examines biological material systems and the transfer
of biological material principles towards biomimetic and bio-inspired applications. Applying
biomateriomics can unlock nature’s secret to
high-performance materials such as spider silk,
bone, and collagen. “Spider silk is one of the
strongest materials known. In fact, its strength
is about that, or even larger, than the strength
of steel,” Buehler said. Despite its strength,
spider silk is almost completely composed
of proteins, which are simple, weak building
blocks. Explaining how the silk gets so strong,
Buehler said, “It’s not because the proteins are
so strong, but because of the way these proteins
are connected and form patterns.”
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