Science of Superheroes: Swedish Scientists Make Amazing Spider Silk from Modified E.coli Bacteria

If you live in a house, one of the most amazing materials known to humans is likely languishing in a dark corner of your basement. Spider webs and especially the draglines that form their structure are made from silk threads extruded by arachnids that can be several times tougher than Kevlar and stronger than steel by weight, but also extremely stretchy. Spider silk also has anti-bacterial properties, which may have led Greek and Roman soldiers to use it as wound dressing.