Ask any gathering of chemists and they'll tell you: Spiderwebs are weird. Made from chains of proteins, spider silk can exhibit tensile strength that is proportionately stronger than steel, yet they're highly stretchable and even edible.
Mushrooms are even weirder. On the cellular level, mushrooms are fundamentally different than other life forms and have unique medicinal properties. And they have their own classification that is neither plant nor animal.
A California-based company is finding novel applications for both mushrooms and spider silk by developing ecologically friendly textiles. If all goes well, the company, Bolt Threads, will soon be providing entirely news kinds of apparel for the 21st century.
Great idea, weird model. So, what else is new? To read more, click here.