Scientists breed goats that produce spider silk

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TallyMan
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31 May 2010, 3:28 pm

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Researchers from the University of Wyoming have developed a way to incorporate spiders' silk-spinning genes into goats, allowing the researchers to harvest the silk protein from the goats’ milk for a variety of applications.

Full article:
http://www.physorg.com/news194539934.html

Fascinating bit of transgenic work. I wonder if people strolling through the countryside will soon find themselves getting caught in six feet high webs and drained by blood sucking goats? :lol:

(Sorry just my silly imagination).

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DemonAbyss10
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31 May 2010, 3:31 pm

humanity fools around with nature far too much...

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zer0netgain
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31 May 2010, 8:17 pm

Spider goat, spider goat, does whatever a spider goat can....

DemonAbyss10
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01 Jun 2010, 3:02 pm

zer0netgain wrote:

Spider goat, spider goat, does whatever a spider goat can....

if they actually did this experiment with a pig, I would probably have died of laughter.

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Fuzzy
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01 Jun 2010, 3:05 pm

DemonAbyss10 wrote:

humanity fools around with nature far too much...

Too much of a good thing is great.

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ruveyn
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01 Jun 2010, 5:26 pm

DemonAbyss10 wrote:

humanity fools around with nature far too much...

All "fooling around with nature" is in conformity with physical laws. Which makes the fooling around completely natural.

ruveyn

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01 Jun 2010, 7:04 pm

ruveyn wrote:

DemonAbyss10 wrote:

humanity fools around with nature far too much...

All "fooling around with nature" is in conformity with physical laws. Which makes the fooling around completely natural.

ruveyn

Correct. There is no fooling around. There is only life.

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Orwell
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02 Jun 2010, 1:20 pm

How is this news? I remember reading about spider-silk goat milk years and years ago.

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mgran
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02 Jun 2010, 1:25 pm

Awgh yuck. That's disgusting...

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02 Jun 2010, 1:28 pm

mgran wrote:

Awgh yuck. That's disgusting...

But potentialy useful.

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Awesomelyglorious
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02 Jun 2010, 6:35 pm

mgran wrote:

Awgh yuck. That's disgusting...

You mean delicious and a good source of protein.

DNForrest
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02 Jun 2010, 9:12 pm

That's.... Disquieting....

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02 Jun 2010, 9:16 pm

zer0netgain wrote:

Spider goat, spider goat, does whatever a spider goat can....

LOL!!

I learned about this in graduate school in textile science, and yes, they have been working on this for a long time, but it's still very interesting. If people could mass produce spider silk for textile use, everything would be revolutionized. Especially in terms of protective gear of all sorts. I don't know how the goats feel - maybe they don't even notice. *shrug*

There is a type of lace that is made in Madagascar of spider silk which is highly prized. I would love, love to get my little hands on some.

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03 Jun 2010, 8:25 am

happymusic wrote:

I don't know how the goats feel - maybe they don't even notice. *shrug*

I remember when Marvel Comics did a series of titles set a good 100+ years in the future. The SpiderMan one involved a guy who did a genetic treatment to cure an addiction and became SpiderMan.

When he learned he had web shooters in his wrists, he made a comment that he should be grateful it wasn't just like a spider's or he'd be shooting webs out of his butt. :lol:

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03 Jun 2010, 12:32 pm

Tollorin wrote:

mgran wrote:

Awgh yuck. That's disgusting...

But potentialy useful.

Indeed... but still, really RRReally disgusting. (Trilled rs, if you're wondering.)
In the old days when a lactating mother's baby had a cold, or a chest infection etc, she would eat the snot or phlegm. While this helped her produce antibodies in her breast milk, I still don't know any modern person (besides my disgusting self) who doesn't think it disgusting.

Oh... my son is fourteen and has had four colds in his life. Don't ask... (I stopped nursing him at three and a half.)

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03 Jun 2010, 7:13 pm

zer0netgain wrote:

When he learned he had web shooters in his wrists, he made a comment that he should be grateful it wasn't just like a spider's or he'd be shooting webs out of his butt. :lol:

That almost made spider milk shoot out my nose. :lol:

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