Artificial Spider Silk:

It is a tedious process to manufacture large quantity of spider silk from spiders. Though high in demand, mass production of spider silk is impossible as it is difficult to maintain spiders. Extraction of silk from spider webs is not a cost-effective process. Hence, attempts were made to manufacture spider silk in an artificial way. A Canadian company undertook researches to produce spider silk from goats. Goats have spider silk protein gene, and their milk also contained a sizable amount of protein. But, efforts undertaken to spin the protein into a fibre equivalent to the natural spider silk proved futile. This silk is composed of complex protein molecules. Combined with the isolation stemming from the predatory nature of the spider, manufacturing the same; artificially, becomes difficult.

Spider silk is a material that has held human fascination for many years. Main interest is due to the presence of mechanical properties, and non-polluting nature of the fibre. Its production is environmentally friendly, and is biodegradable. It posses many desirable properties, and can be used in a wide variety of fields including medical, military and other industries. Due to its complex nature, mass production of this fibre is not possible, and this remains a challenge to scientists and researchers all across the globe to understand the spiders' inherent skills, and manufacture the silk thread.

References:

1. 'Spider Silk: The Wonder Fiber', Deepak Jadhav, Textile Excellence, Dec 1-15, 2008.
2. http://www.sciencentral.com/
3. http://en.wikipedia.org