Spider silk transmits vibrations across a wide range of
frequencies so that, when plucked like a guitar string, its sound carries
information about prey, mates, and even the structural integrity of a web.
The discovery was made by researchers from the Universities
of Oxford, Strathclyde, and Sheffield who fired bullets and lasers at spider silk
to study how it vibrates. They found that, uniquely, when compared to other
materials, spider silk can be tuned to a wide range of harmonics. The findings,
to be reported in the journal Advanced Materials, not only reveal more about
spiders but could also inspire a wide range of new technologies, such as tiny
light-weight sensors.