Friday 19 April 2013

Hagfish Slime for Fabrics

Slime is lendir. Slime is a sticky clear or milky substance. It is produced by certain organisms including spiders, snails, bacteria and fish. Slime is protein that absorbs water and swells, much like artificial resin beads such as those used in gel filtration chromatography.

There is a special of kind of slime that scientists are working on to produce a type of fibre for making clothes. Just like silk from silkworms, scientists are trying to turn the slime from the ancient hagfish to make a new fibre and thus futuristic fabric, hopefully.

We wear silk garments once in a while. Whether humans will want to wear hagfish-made materials is a wonder.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21954779

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