Body armour made from silk is being developed – but this apparently cutting-edge idea is centuries old

By Lloyd Strickland, Professor of Philosophy and Intellectual History, Manchester Metropolitan University

Separate teams of Chinese and American scientists are reported to be developing body armour using the silk from genetically modified silkworms. The researchers modified the genes of silkworms to make them produce spider silk instead of their own silk.

Harnessing the properties of spider silk has been a longstanding aim because the material is as strong as steel, yet also…

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