Wednesday 17 July 2013

“Spider Silk Is a Wonder of Nature”


This spider is using more advanced technology than most (human) researchers. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.




Joel Kontinen

Materials found in nature could help us to spare our planet, an article in The Conversation suggests. They are also “rich in information and low in energy.” No wonder, then, that biomimicry or imitating intelligent solutions found in nature has become a very popular branch of study.

Michelle Oyen, Lecturer in Mechanics of Biological Materials at University of Cambridge, UK, writes:

The magic of spider silk has everything to do with the transmission of information through DNA. Human engineering is adept at using more energy to solve problems. Nature does it through the use of better information.”

Blind Darwinian processes are not supposed to come up with hi-tech solutions, so there must be a more intelligent explanation: design.

Source:

Oyen, Michelle. 2013. Spider silk is a wonder of nature, but it’s not stronger than steel. The Conversation. (5 June).