Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles. It is obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm larva, in the process known as sericulture, which kills the larvae. The shimmering appearance for which it is prized comes from the fibres' triangular prism-like structure, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles.
Spider silk is a fibre secreted by spiders. Spider silk is a remarkably strong material. Its tensile strength is comparable to that of high-grade steel - according to Nature (see reference below), spider silk has a tensile strength of roughly 1.3 GPa, while one source [1] lists a tensile strength for one form of steel at 1.65 GPa. However, spider silk is much less dense than steel; its ratio of tensile strength to density is perhaps 5 times better than steel—as strong as aromatic nylon filaments, such as DuPont's Kevlar.
Spider silk is a fibre secreted by spiders. Spider silk is a remarkably strong material. Its tensile strength is comparable to that of high-grade steel - according to Nature (see reference below), spider silk has a tensile strength of roughly 1.3 GPa, while one source [1] lists a tensile strength for one form of steel at 1.65 GPa. However, spider silk is much less dense than steel; its ratio of tensile strength to density is perhaps 5 times better than steel—as strong as aromatic nylon filaments, such as DuPont's Kevlar.
Source: wikipedia, under GFDL
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