Dutch Artist Creates Bulletproof Skin From . . . . Goat Milk & Spider Silk!
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
While the picture above may look like the mask from the 'Phantom of the Opera' it is actually human skin - one that is so strong, that it can ricochet bullets and turn any ordinary soul into superman - sans the fancy attire!
Oddly enough, this super human skin that has been imaginatively named '2.6g 329m/s' (the weight and the velocity of a .22 caliber long rifle bullet), is not the brainchild of a scientist, but of Dutch artist Jalila Essaidi, who wanted to prove that something like this could actually be done. However, while the 'big idea' was all hers, it did take a team of brilliant scientists to make it possible.
Ms. Essaidi's quest began with Randy Lewis, a professor of molecular biology at University of Wyoming, who has genetically modified ordinary goats to produce milk that contains the same proteins as spider silk.
When the protein from the milk is extracted and weaved, it results in a material that is ten times stronger than steel. While Randy's focus is to invent stronger materials, he was intrigued by Jalila's idea and agreed to part with some of his limited supply of 'spider' silk.
The enterprising artist than contacted scientists from Leiden's Department of Dermatology and the Netherlands Forensics Institute to get some help in integrating this tougher than steel material into the keratin of the human skin - a process that took about five weeks. The resulting skin was sandwich like - with the spider silk meshed in between the dermis and epidermis.
Once ready, the artist decided to put it to test and, she was not disappointed. While the toughened skin did not work when the bullet was fired at normal speed, it was able to withstand the impact, if the speed of the bullet was reduced slightly.
Unfortunately, growing bulletproof skin on our body is likely to be only a dream for now. However, in case you are interested, Jalila's masterpiece is on display until January 2012, as part of the 'Designers & Artists 4 Genomics' exhibition at the Naturalis Museum of Leidn.
Resources: DW-world-de, technews.daily.com
Cite Article
Geography
Learn Keywords in this Article
161 Comments
4c36073almost 11 yearsThat is so amazing that if you go all the the way in your body has so strong skin.
4c35919almost 11 yearsthe spider slke was cool.
4c36025almost 11 yearsplus how the skin is with is made of spider slik- 4c36025almost 11 yearsit was a little hard to understand the people because they got kind of a language but this is really cool to listen to the people are studying so, hard to make something so, cool called bulletproof skin!And how they have little diagram of the real and fake skin and figuring out what the difference
4c36037almost 11 yearsYour skin is important to your body and just think Jalila tried to make human body skin that was bullet proof.
4c35779almost 11 yearsspider slik is like the goats milk turned into spider silk
4c36049almost 11 yearsYour skin is very importnant part of your body it helps you move you should be glad you have your skin.
4c36762almost 11 yearsI think it is very unusual for people to make skin but it is very cool that it can doge a bullet
4c36041almost 11 yearsI think this is really weird because they made fake skin.
4c36044almost 11 yearsOops i meant probably