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Sea silk (known also as byssus) is a type of fabric. Whilst silk is famously known to be obtained from the cocoons of the mulberry silkworm larvae, sea silk comes from another source. As its name suggests, sea silk is produced by a marine creature, a type of Mediterranean clam known as pen shells, to be more specific. ....
Kuki Waterstone/Alamy A non-toxic underwater glue that is inspired by barnacles and made from silk is stronger than most synthetic adhesives. Barnacles and mussels use a clever combination of factors to stick to rocks or to the side of boats. In particular, they layer protein filaments into a cement-like structure that is cross-linked for extra strength. These filaments – called byssus – form into polymers on the surface the shellfish wants to cling to. In nature, they are then strengthened by iron-containing complex molecules. Fiorenzo Omenetto at Tufts University in Massachusetts and his colleagues sought to replicate that using silk from silk worms. ....