Scientists are exploring ways of producing spider silk artificially, a process difficult to repeat effectively. A spider’s silk gland is a very efficient chemical factory. Inside its gland, the spider stores a mixture of liquid proteins, which it is able to transform into light, strong fibres. Artificial spider silk could have many applications, from lightweight and durable packing materials to parachutes, surgical sutures, and even bullet-proof vests. Producing it synthetically is a two- part process: scientists must first manufacture the proteins and then find a way to form them into superfine threads. They have had success with the first part, by producing proteins through genetic modification. Binding proteins into fibres as thin and strong as spider silk, however, has proved to be a challenge. Recently, however, a group of German scientists have attempted to solve that problem by using a device modelled on a spider’s glands. Like the arachnid method, the proteins are mixed with potassium phosphate, and then the pH is lowered before pressure is applied as the mixture flows through tiny channels, hardening and binding the proteins. So far, researchers have been able to make fibres of only a fraction of an inch long, but they hope to be able to produce longer, stronger fibres in the future.