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Genetically qualify silkworms that whirl special fibers , known as " Dragon Silk , " could presently be used to protect soldiers in the U.S. Army , its manufacturer , Kraig Biocraft Laboratories , denote this week .
The U.S. Army lately present the Michigan - base company a declaration to test its silk products , Kraig Biocraft Laboratories announced on Tuesday ( July 12 ) . Researchers at the research laboratory will collect the modified silk and give it to another company . That company will weave it into fabric and then give it to the U.S. Army for testing , the company say .
Silkworms have been genetically engineered to produce spider silk, which could lead to bullet-resistant clothing one day.
" Dragon Silk scores very highly in tensile strength and elasticity , " which urinate is one of the toughest fibers known to piece , Jon Rice , the principal operations officer at Kraig Biocraft Laboratories , say in a statement . [ 7 Technologies That Transformed Warfare ]
Despite its mythical name , Dragon Silk is actually the workplace of genetic applied scientist . It ’s widely know , at least in the materials industry , thatspider silk has exceptional force , resilience and flexibility , Rice told Live Science .
" wanderer silk is five to 10 time stronger than conventional silkworm silk , " Rice said . " It ’s also , in some cases , as much as twice as elastic . It ’s even tougher than Kevlar . "
Silkworms have been genetically engineered to produce spider silk, which could lead to bullet-resistant clothing one day.
However , it is n’t possible to lay out up a one - stop shop for spider silk . Spiders are n’t tractable to producing silk in concentrated colonies , for the most part becausemany are cannibalistic , he said . So , engineers found DNA within several spider that is creditworthy for making silk - touch protein , and inserted it into silkworms .
In 2011 , a study write in thejournal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdescribed the proficiency , excuse how the researchers removed the silkworms ' silk - make protein and supervene upon them with the spiders ' proteins to create super silkworms — that is , silkworms that can spin composite spider silk .
A silkworm has a lifecycle that ’s alike to any cat ’s that plow into a moth . Silkworms whirl cocoons when they ’re about 30 to 35 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. old , just when they ’re ready to metamorphose into moths , Rice articulate . Most of these cocoon are garner by Kraig Biocraft Laboratories , and the fellowship then pee-pee them into silk . But some giant silkworm are capable to reproduce and pass down their newly acquiredsilky trait to their young , Rice said .
A typical silk cocoon (left) next to a genetically altered one (right), under ultraviolet light.
The modified silk is about 1,000 times more monetary value effectual than its competition , Rice sum . change silk made from complex fermentation processes costs about $ 30,000 to $ 40,000 a kilogram ( 2.2 lb . ) , while the lab ’s silk costs less than $ 300 for the same amount , Rice said .
If Dragon Silk perform well in the U.S. Army test , which include ballistic - impact trial , Kraig Biocraft Laboratories could invite a nearly $ 1 million contract with the military to produce more of the fabric , the company say in the statement .
Still , Rice does n’t need to confine Dragon Silk to military uses . He be after to blow up the company ’s product into the realm of other protective clothing , as well as athletic wear , he said .
Genetically altered silkworm moths standing on top of cocoons.
Original article onLive Science .
