Genetically engineered goats are not capable of producing silk. Thanks to molecular biologists Randy Lewis who figured out how to put the spider silk making gene into goats. “There’s a lot of interest in spider silk fibers because they’re stronger than almost any other man-made fiber and they’re also elastic,” says Randy Lewis.
Scientists discovered a way to make spider silk from goat milk. Image credit The Science Foundation.
This breakthrough discovery could be very beneficial in many applications such as, artificial ligaments and artificial tendons, bulletproof vests and even car airbags and sutures for surgery.
This way, silk fiber can be produced in larger quantities, without relaying on spiders. As you probably know, spiders are very competitive and territorial, so they keep killing each other which reduces the amount of silk fiber.
Via – Science Foundation
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