The Spider Lady (and her spiders) who helped kill Nazis

The Spider Lady (and her spiders) who helped kill Nazis

Postby lady_*nix » Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:52 pm

https://www.the-scientist.com/foundatio ... 1939-70053

Songer began experimenting with black widows (genus Latrodectus), which produce a silk dragline composed of six strands to stabilize themselves in midair and control their landings. By separating this thread into individual strands with a needle, she achieved the width that the military needed. “The strands were virtually invisible to the naked eye,” Sahara Quinn, a historian and vice president of the Yucaipa Historical Society, tells The Scientist. Yet they carried illumination better than silk from other species, helping the crosshairs stand out against a background.
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Re: The Spider Lady (and her spiders) who helped kill Nazis

Postby SciFiFisher » Mon Aug 29, 2022 3:45 pm

Wow! I never realized they used spider silk that way. :shock:
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