Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk • Hacker News Board

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#31

Post by colechristensen » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 6:39 AM UTC

delinka wrote: post #2

I sense a new explanation for Spiderman's webs on the next reboot. But seriously, are we anywhere close to using this stuff for human benefit? Or near learning how these worms do what they do? This sounds fabulously awesome.

A company called Bolt Threads raised a $50M round this year. It looks like they're going to miss their 2016 release of spider silk clothing, but it also seems like a release date and real product are right around the corner.

https://boltthreads.com/2016/05/11/bolt-raises-50-million-an...

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#32

Post by asciimo » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 7:38 AM UTC

M_Grey wrote: post #15

Lxr wrote: post #3

I wonder what effects this process has on the organism. For instance what would happen if humans ate graphene?

The good news about silkworms is that they're not in it for the long haul anyway, so as long as there are no teratogenic effects, it's all ok.

... because they're boiled alive as soon as they finish their cocoons. But maybe you mean teratogenic effects on humans?

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#33

Post by the8472 » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 7:40 AM UTC

delinka wrote: post #2

I sense a new explanation for Spiderman's webs on the next reboot. But seriously, are we anywhere close to using this stuff for human benefit? Or near learning how these worms do what they do? This sounds fabulously awesome.

They already tried it with spiders: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1504/1504.06751.pdf/

The problem is spiders are difficult to farm, unlike silkworms.

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#34

Post by plorg » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 7:42 AM UTC

thescriptkiddie wrote: post #20

> The team heated the silk fibers at 1,050 °C to carbonize the silk protein This is suspiciously similar to the way that carbon fiber is made. It could be that they are just converting the silk into carbon fiber and the nanotubes are not an important part of the process. Then again, I only read the summary.

It seems clear even from the summary that this process was used to test the silk fibers, not to produce them. Presumably the control silk and the nanotube/graphene-fed silk were both subjected to the carbonization treatment and the then the researchers tested the conductivity of both specimens.

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#35

Post by andai » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 9:00 AM UTC

civilian wrote: post #29

ge96 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space elevator! Monopolize space

Silk reinforced with carbon nanotubes still isn't strong enough for a space elevator :'(

How about carbon nanotubes reinforced with carbon nanotubes?

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#36

Post by smcl » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 9:36 AM UTC

jimmywanger wrote: post #8

Geez. This will make its way into the food supply. Remember, some South Koreans (and maybe other East Asian cultures) eat silkworm pupae for food. Cheap protein, and there's no need to waste calories in that culture.

I still remember having Beondegi in Busan,South Korea and it was perhaps the most awful-tasting food I've had. I loved everything I ate and drank in SK ... except beondegi.

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#37

Post by therein » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 9:58 AM UTC

ehsanu1 wrote: post #25

adenot wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless dissolved in olive oil, then it has lifespan extending properties. https://alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/fullerene...

Not to defend any unsubstantiated claims, but C60 is not exactly the same as a nanotube. There doesn't seem to be evidence that C60 is toxic/carcinogenic (though not necessarily solid evidence in the other direction either): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_impact_of_fullerenes#Bu...

C60 isn't toxic, in fact it is an anti-oxidant, a very strong one. Oxidative stress is sometimes desirable, though, for instance C60 is exceptional at neutralizing Nitric Oxide. You know what is one of NO's functions in the body? Erections.

After cessation, the anti-boner effects seem to disappear, though. Such a shame it even had that effect to begin with because it really made me feel more energetic and happier while allowing me to (consistently and basically within a day or two of starting to take it) do twice the reps during my workouts.

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#38

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 10:17 AM UTC

BurningFrog wrote: post #28

jcoffland wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or drinking too much water.

Everything is toxic in too large amount. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison

I was recently reading about the blood / kidney salt balance too. Same for pH. Interesting how our body spends time in a balancing act.

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#39

Post by dnautics » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 10:32 AM UTC

There's no evidence that nanotubes wind up in the silk, and, let's be honest, can you tell the difference between the three EM panels? Is there some quantitative measure of the disorder in the first panel versus the second or third? Could you train a panel of humans (or a ConvNet) on a set of treated/untreated silkworm silk EM images and expect them to correctly bin which treatment the silk came from?

Re: Silkworms that eat carbon nanotubes and graphene spin tougher silk

#40

Post by Normal_gaussian » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 11:04 AM UTC

dnautics wrote: post #39

There's no evidence that nanotubes wind up in the silk, and, let's be honest, can you tell the difference between the three EM panels? Is there some quantitative measure of the disorder in the first panel versus the second or third? Could you train a panel of humans (or a ConvNet) on a set of treated/untreated silkworm silk EM images and expect them to correctly bin which treatment the silk came from?

Looking at those pictures, yes.

I would need more pictures to be confident in the answer, but I think that subjectively the bottom two look more ordered (I initially thought the first was of a greater magnification) and I suspect there is some absolute measurement that can be made from the relation of the length and branching factor of the structures.