Cheryl Hayashi studies spider silk, one of nature's most
high-performance materials. Each species of spider can make up to 7 very
different kinds of silk. How do they do it? Hayashi explains at the DNA
level -- then shows us how this super-strong, super-flexible material
can inspire.
Made of a mix of proteins, spider silks come in thousands of variations;
there are over 40,000 species of spiders, with many spiders capable of
producing half a dozen types. Some silks have the tensile strength of
steel -- and often are much tougher -- while remaining light as air and
extremely supple. And spiders use their silk in diverse ways: to make
their homes and trap their food, to travel, to court and to protect
their eggs.
In her lab at UC Riverside,
Hayashi explores spider silk’s genetic makeup, evolution and unique
biomechanics (winning a MacArthur “genius" grant for it in 2007). Her
work blurs the boundary between biology and materials science, looking
for the molecular basis of this wondrous material and exploring how
humans might learn from it. Hayashi's work may inspire new biomimetic
materials for a huge variety of uses, from biodegradable fishing lines
and sutures to superstrong ropes and armor cloth.
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