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Spider silk is remarkable for its strength and elasticity, its hypoallergenic nature, and its biodegradability. Beyond capturing prey and protecting the offspring of spiders, it has many potential applications across diverse human industries, with the possibility of changing the way we approach materials science.
The full potential of spider silk is yet to be realised, because developments are constrained by the limitations of traditional silk harvesting methods. Bioengineering solutions are needed to enable development of new, sustainable and high-performance materials.
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