IELTS Academic Reading Sample 166 - Jumping spiders.
Spider silk is a fiber of protein, produced by a gland in the spider's abdomen. The gland stores silk protein in liquid form, which isn't particularly useful for building structures like webs. When the spider needs silk, the liquefied protein passes through a canal where it gets an acid bath.Silk is a fabric that is used throughout the entire the world. It is a very elegant fabric that many people prize to have. The silk fabric can trace its origins back 4000 years in China. It has a very interesting myth related to it but for all that can be said it may also be the truth. Silk is.The remarkable properties of spider’s silk is leading to the creation of new technologies. Synthetic Spider Silk. Engineers are fascinated by spider silk because this material displays astonishingly high tensile strength and ductility (pliability), properties that allow it to absorb huge amounts of energy before breaking. Only one-sixth the.
Spider silk is the strongest known natural fiber and has been used in medical applications for centuries. It was known to ease healing and connect the skin. It was also believed that spider silk had antiseptic properties and was effective in clotting blood because of its high vitamin K content.Spiders make their webs by producing and arranging silk strands, produced by tiny organs on their abdomens. Called spinnerets, these tiny organs release the silk in liquid form, but it quickly becomes solid after contacting the air.Relatively few pet species spin elaborate webs, but most use silk for other purposes, such as constructing tripwires that notify the spider when predators or prey.
Spider silk is produced and manipulated into different forms by the spinnerets located on the abdomen of almost all spiders. There are as many as seven different types of spider silk, each being custom-made by the spider from liquid form for whatever function it is required. However, no known spider possesses the spinnerets to manufacture all seven types of silk.
