Spider silk 2

A strong, light bio-material made by genes from spiders could transform

construction and industry
A. Scientists have succeeded in copying the silk-producing genes of the
Golden Orb Weaver spider and are using them to create a synthetic
material which they believe is the model for a new generation of
advanced bio-materials. The new material, biosilk, which has been
spun for the first time by researchers at DuPont, has an enormous range
of potential uses in construction and manufacturing.
B. The attraction of the silk spun by the spider is a combination of great
strength and enormous elasticity, which man-made fibres have been
unable to replicate. On an equal-weight basis, spider silk is far stronger
than steel and it is estimated that if a single strand could be made about
10m in diameter, it would be strong enough to stop a jumbo jet in
flight. A third important factor is that it is extremely light. Army
scientists are already looking at the possibilities of using it for
lightweight, bulletproof vests and parachutes.
C. For some time, biochemists have been trying to synthesise the drag-line
silk of the Golden Orb Weaver. The drag-line silk, which forms the
radial arms of the web, is stronger than the other parts of the web and
some biochemists believe a synthetic version could prove to be as
important a material as nylon, which has been around for 50 years,
since the discoveries of Wallace Carothers and his team ushered in the
age of polymers.
D. To recreate the material, scientists, including Randolph Lewis at the
University of Wyoming, first examined the silk-producing gland of the
spider. ‘We took out the glands that produce the silk and looked at the
coding for the protein material they make, which is spun into a web.
We then went looking for clones with the right DNA,’ he says.
E. At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to
grow the raw material, which they have spun into fibres. Robert
 Dorsch, DuPont’s director of biochemical development, says the
globules of protein, comparable with marbles in an egg, are harvested
and processed. ‘We break open the bacteria, separate out the globules
of protein and use them as the raw starting material. With yeast, the
gene system can be designed so that the material excretes the protein
outside the yeast for better access,’ he says.
F. ‘The bacteria and the yeast produce the same protein, equivalent to that
which the spider uses in the draglines of the web. The spider mixes the
protein into a water-based solution and then spins it into a solid fibre in
one go. Since we are not as clever as the spider and we are not using
such sophisticated organisms, we substituted man-made approaches
and dissolved the protein in chemical solvents, which are then spun to
push the material through small holes to form the solid fibre.’
G. Researchers at DuPont say they envisage many possible uses for a new
biosilk material. They say that earthquake-resistant suspension bridges
hung from cables of synthetic spider silk fibres may become a reality.
Stronger ropes, safer seat belts, shoe soles that do not wear out so
quickly and tough new clothing are among the other applications.
Biochemists such as Lewis see the potential range of uses of biosilk as
almost limitless. ‘It is very strong and retains elasticity: there are no
man-made materials that can mimic both these properties. It is also a
biological material with all the advantages that have over
petrochemicals,’ he says.
H. At DuPont’s laboratories, Dorsch is excited by the prospect of new
super-strong materials but he warns they are many years away. ‘We are
at an early stage but theoretical predictions are that we will wind up
with a very strong, tough material, with an ability to absorb shock,
which is stronger and tougher than the man-made materials that are
conventionally available to us,’ he says.
I. The spider is not the only creature that has aroused the interest of
material scientists. They have also become envious of the natural
adhesive secreted by the sea mussel. It produces a protein adhesive to
 attach itself to rocks. It is tedious and expensive to extract the protein
from the mussel, so researchers have already produced a synthetic gene
for use in surrogate bacteria.
Summary: The reading is about a comparison of the ways two materials are
used to replace silk-producing glands, predictions regarding the availability
of the synthetic silk, ongoing research into other synthetic materials, the
research into the part of the spider that manufactures silk and the possible
application of the silk in civil engineering. Besides, Synthetic gene grown in
yeast or bacteria later globules of protein next dissolved in chemical sequent
passed through holes final produce a solid fibre.
Vocabulary:
1. Gene (noun)
/dʒiːn/ /dʒiːn/
+ a unit inside a cell that controls a particular quality in a living thing that has
been passed on from its parents
Ex: a dominant/recessive gene
genes that code for the colour of the eyes
2. Synthetic (adjective)
/sɪnˈθetɪk/ /sɪnˈθetɪk/
+ artificial; made by combining chemical substances rather than being
produced naturally by plants or animals
SYNONYM man-made
Ex: synthetic drugs/fabrics
shoes with synthetic soles
synthetic dyes
 Even the hair is synthetic.
+ (linguistics) (of languages) using changes to the ends of words rather than
separate words to show the functions of words in a sentence
3. Manufacture (verb)
/ˌmænjuˈfæktʃə(r)/ /ˌmænjuˈfæktʃər/
+ manufacture something to make goods in large quantities, using machines
SYNONYM mass-produce
Ex: manufactured goods
This company manufactures the equipment used to make contact lenses.
+ manufacture something to invent a story, an excuse, etc.
Ex: a news story manufactured by an unscrupulous journalist
+ manufacture something (specialist) to produce a substance
Ex: Vitamins cannot be manufactured by our bodies.
Plants use the sun's light to manufacture their food.
4. Combination (noun)
/ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃn/ /ˌkɑːmbɪˈneɪʃn/
+ [countable] two or more things joined or mixed together to form a single
unit
Ex: combination of something: The tragedy was due to a combination of
factors.
His treatment was a combination of surgery, radiation and drugs.
What an unusual combination of flavours!
 Technology and good management. That's a winning combination (= one
that will certainly be successful).
in a combination: They continue to record and play concerts solo and in
various combinations.
4. Fibre (noun)
/ˈfaɪbə(r)/ /ˈfaɪbər/
+ [uncountable] the part of food that helps to keep a person healthy by
keeping the bowels working and moving other food quickly through the body
SYNONYM roughage
Ex: dietary fibre
Dried fruits are especially high in fibre.
a high-/low-fibre diet
He has been advised to increase his fibre intake.
bran fibre
+ [countable, uncountable] a material such as cloth or rope that is made from
a mass of natural or artificial threads
Ex: nylon and other man-made fibres
Wear underwear that is made from natural fibres.
+ [countable] one of the many thin threads that form body tissue, such as
muscle, and natural materials, such as wood and cotton
Ex: cotton/wood/nerve/muscle fibres
(literary) She loved him with every fibre of her being.
5. Steel (noun)
 /stiːl/
Idioms
+ [uncountable] a strong, hard metal that is made of a mixture of iron and
carbon
Ex: the iron and steel industry
The frame is made of steel.
The bridge is reinforced with huge steel girders.
+ [uncountable] the industry that produces steel
Ex: Steel used to be important in South Wales.
steel workers
a steel town
The factories and steel mills have now almost disappeared.
+ [countable] a long, thin, straight piece of steel with a rough surface, used
for rubbing knives on to make them sharp
+ [uncountable] (old use or literary) weapons that are used for fighting
the clash of steel
6. Jumbo (noun)
/ˈdʒʌmbəʊ/ /ˈdʒʌmbəʊ/
+ a large plane that can carry several hundred passengers, especially a Boeing
747
7. Parachute (noun)
/ˈpærəʃuːt/ /ˈpærəʃuːt/
(also informal chute)
+ enlarge imagea device that is attached to people or objects to make them
fall slowly and safely when they are dropped from an aircraft. It consists of a
large piece of thin cloth that opens out in the air.
Ex: Planes dropped supplies by parachute.
a parachute drop/jump
a parachute regiment
8. Synthesize verb
/ˈsɪnθəsaɪz/ /ˈsɪnθəsaɪz/
+ synthesize something (specialist) to produce a substance by means of
chemical or biological processes
+ synthesize something to produce sounds, music or speech using electronic
equipment
+ synthesize something to combine separate ideas, beliefs, styles, etc.
Ex: Students learn to synthesize information and search for what is relevant.
9. Clone (noun)
/kləʊn/ /kləʊn/
+ (biology) a plant or an animal that is produced naturally or artificially from
the cells of another plant or animal and is therefore exactly the same as it
+ (sometimes disapproving) : a person or thing that seems to be an exact copy
of another
Ex: Caroline’s brothers grinned alongside her, clones of their father.
+ (computing) a computer that is a copy of another more expensive model
Ex: Once they found that the PC clones were just as good, companies saved a
lot.
10. Harvest (verb)
/ˈhɑːvɪst/ /ˈhɑːrvɪst/
Verb Forms
+ [intransitive, transitive] harvest (something) to cut and gather a crop; to
catch a number of animals or fish to eat
Ex: The nuts are ready to harvest in September.
+ [transitive] harvest something (medical) to collect cells or tissue from
somebody’s body for use in medical experiments or operations
Ex: She had her eggs harvested and frozen for her own future use.
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