Researchers Bust Antibacterial Spider Silk Myth

Researchers Bust Antibacterial Spider Silk Myth

In their study published Tuesday, researchers Simon Fruergaard, Marie Braad Lund, Andreas Schramm, Thomas Vosegaard, and Trine Bilde report having looked for AMA across seven types of spider silk, accounting for differences within the spider phylogeny. They tested for antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli (better known as E. coli), Pseudomonas putida (sometimes associated with skin infections), and Bacillus subtilis (a benign form of bacteria that doesn’t actually harm humans or animals). Using direct contact assays (in which untreated silk is tested against antibiotic susceptibility) and disc diffusion assays (in which silk extracts are tested against the same), the team was able to conclude that all three types of bacteria were unthreatened by the silk.

“We were unable to detect the antimicrobial activity of social spider silk, and this made us curious about why other studies were able to detect antimicrobial activity in spider silk. We then started scrutinizing the papers reporting antimicrobial activity in every detail, and became aware of methodological shortcomings,” Tilde said to Gizmodo about the research. A more realistic application of “spider silk” on wounds would involve a spider-inspired synthetic silk developed in the UK a few years back. The synthetic material may someday be used to deliver drugs and close wounds with less risk of infection.

Researchers Bust Antibacterial Spider Silk Myth

Spider silk is still incredibly resilient, though. “Spider silk is renowned for its extraordinary physical properties such as high tensile strength and flexibility,” the study reads. “Silk is used as an anchor for rapid escape, a snare for prey capture, to immobilize cannibalistic mates, to make egg cases for protection . . . and even in silk diving bells that facilitate underwater life.” Based on the silk’s wide range of uses and overall durability, it made sense to the researchers at first that it may also protect itself by way of killing off bacteria. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case.

Continue reading

Microsoft Wins $21.9 Billion Contract to Supply AR Headsets to the US Army
Microsoft Wins $21.9 Billion Contract to Supply AR Headsets to the US Army

Microsoft has signed a 10-year, $21.9 billion contract with the US Army to provide augmented reality technology based on its HoloLens devices.

New Simulation Sheds Light on the Sun’s Mysterious Cometary Cloud
New Simulation Sheds Light on the Sun’s Mysterious Cometary Cloud

The sheath of comets surrounding our solar system is still theoretical, but it matches the available evidence. A new simulation from researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands models the cloud in unprecedented detail.

More Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Detected, With Possible Answer in Sight
More Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Detected, With Possible Answer in Sight

These anomalous pulses of energy were discovered in 2007, and a new data set covering hundreds of FRBs is being made available. This could be the advancement that helps us understand FRBs once and for all.

Dark Matter Could Solve the Mystery of Supermassive Black Hole Formation
Dark Matter Could Solve the Mystery of Supermassive Black Hole Formation

This work is all based on simulations, but we might have the means to verify Yu's work experimentally before long.