Ideas worth spreading

The magnificence of spider silk

947,234 views | Cheryl Hayashi • TED2010

Cheryl Hayashi studies spider silk, one of nature's most high-performance materials. Each species of spider can make up to 7 very different kinds of silk. How do they do it? Hayashi explains at the DNA level -- then shows us how this super-strong, super-flexible material can inspire.

Cheryl Hayashi studies spider silk, one of nature's most high-performance materials. Each species of spider can make up to 7 very different kinds of silk. How do they do it? Hayashi explains at the DNA level -- then shows us how this super-strong, super-flexible material can inspire.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Cheryl Hayashi

Spider silk scientist

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Cheryl Hayashi studies the delicate but terrifically strong silk threads that make up a spider's web, finding startling applications for human use.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.