Spider silk is light and delicate, while incredibly
resilient and tear-resistant. Understanding the structure and way of
construction of these threads is a challenge taken up by a research team of
Kiel University. The scientists examined five different spider species
regarding the adhesion and tensile strength of a particular silk they use to
fix the main thread to a surface. As shown in their new study published in the
international Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the scientists found out
that the substrate has a particularly significant impact on the silk’s
adhesion.