Secrets of Spider Webs by Dr. Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Curator, Professor, and Leon Hess Director of Comparative Biology Research
What is really known about spider silk? In this lecture, Dr. Hayashi shares results from the latest discoveries about the mysteries of silk synthesis, which spiders have held secret for several hundred million years. Spiders are the superstars of the natural world when it comes to spinning silk. Although they never evolved wings, spiders can use silk to go airborne and travel vast distances by ballooning through the atmosphere. Silk allows spiders to trap and subdue creatures that are many times their size. Capable of remarkable feats, spiders and their web-spinning abilities have been the inspiration for ancient legends, beloved children’s books, comics, and movies.