How was widow spider silk vital to WWII?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
August 27, 2003
Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading – Plus B26 Marauder, Great Blunders of WWII, & more—>Click here.
Two diverse groups of animals are known for their ability to produce silk, the caterpillars of moths (the cocoon spun around the chrysalis) and spiders (various 'webs'). The best known silk, used in the weaving of fine cloth, is the product of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. And most people have had a close, and probably uncomfortable, encounter with a spider's silk. Silk is a protein, fibroin, a polymer of amino acids—glycine, alanine, and serine, but the 'formula' varies depending upon the species and even the individual's diet.
Genghis Khan knew silk's value. His warriors wore tunics made of silk. When struck with an arrow, the tunic did not tear, but was carried into the wound. It eased the removal of the point and staunched the flow of blood. ("Genghis Khan", Mike Edwards, National Geographic, December 1996)
This quality was observed again by Dr. George Emery Goodfellow in the 1880s. He noted that on at least three occasions, silk carried into gunshot wounds and although it did not stop the injury, the silk itself was not penetrated. ("Notes on the Impenetrability of Silk to Bullets", G.E. Goodfellow, Southern California Practitioner, 1887, cited by Karl S. Kruszelnicki, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1998)
Silk is the model fiber. It is stronger than steel at a comparable thickness, remains flexible in the cold, bends and stretches without distortion, and is lightweight. There could be hundreds of uses for silk from surgical dressings to bullet-proofing to clothing to safety equipment. Best of all, silk is non-toxic and biodegradable. Current studies are focusing on silk produced by spiders and attempts to clone this marvel. ("Unraveling Silk's Secrets, One Spider Species at a Time", Kenneth Chang, New York Times, April 3, 2001)
Long before the present brouhaha over spider silk, the strands were used in precision equipment. The strength, durability, and fineness of the strands were critical during World War II and Nan Songer provided these threads to the government.
Songer lived in Yucaipa, California. She kept western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie) in jars in her workshop. Every day she placed widows on cushions of yucca stalk, extracted silk from the spinnerets and wound it onto reels. The strands were used as cross-hairs in targeting scopes for bombers. ("The Spider Lady of Yucaipa", Donald L. Clucas, California Family House Publishers, 2002)
The International Society of Arachnology has posted an electron micrograph of the spinnerets of a spider taken by Dennis Kunkel. To view the photograph, click on the link:
http://www.arachnology.org/Arachnology/Pages/Silk.html
The micrograph is artificially colored, normal EMs are in black and white.
To learn more about the ISA or to become a member, click on the link:
http://www.arachnology.org
Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
How did the rubber tree change war? Plants that Changed History - September 24, 2002
What is Napalm? Plants that Changed History - October 8, 2002
What is Harry Lauder's walking stick? What's in a Name? - March 11, 2005
What is khaki? Herbal Folklore - May 26, 2003
Battle Stations: B26 Marauder! DVD/VHS
The History Channel®
When the B-26 Marauder was introduced in 1940, it was the most advanced mid-range bomber in the world. But it soon acquired a reputation for being difficult to fly, and it was labeled the "Widowmaker."
BATTLE STATIONS reveals how the B-26 narrowly escaped being pulled from service. Pilots like Jimmy Doolittle argued that its intricacies could be mastered and that the B-26 would prove to be an outstanding plane. They were right. It's pin-point accuracy--seen here in archival film of the bombing of the Benedictine Abbey on Monte Casino—was unmatched, and its speed and remarkably low loss rate eventually made the Marauder of favorite of US aviators.
Click here for price and more info...
History Undercover: Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft Of WWII DVD/VHS
The History Channel®
SECRET LUFTWAFFE AIRCRAFT OF WWII makes a strong case that, had the war lasted much longer, Nazi aviation breakthroughs might have led to a different outcome. See captured, formerly top-secret plans for jet fighters, vertical take off and landing craft, swept-wing planes and much more. But most shocking of all was the Horton 18—a long-range bomber intended to drop a nuclear device on America. The decades-old plans for the Horton were invaluable in the development of the American Stealth aircraft!
Click here for price and more info...
The Century of Warfare DVD set
The History Channel®
A CENTURY OF WARFARE explores the pivotal battles, profiles the commanders and chronicles the myriad ways in which war has shaped the modern world. The 26 hour-long episodes in this monumental set feature an encyclopedic collection of archival film dating back to 1896, creating an unforgettable visual record of every major military engagement from the precursors of World War I to the liberation of Kuwait.
Click here for price and more info...
Greatest Raids: The Schweinfurt Disaster
The History Channel®
THE SCHWEINFURT DISASTER relives the raid that is remembered as the "Gettysburg" of the vaunted 8th Air Force, claiming over 60 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and proving—at extraordinary cost—the indisputable value of fighter escorts for daytime bombing missions.
Veterans share their harrowing tales of facing the main force of the Luftwaffe, and military historians examine the after-effects of the devastating raid, which led to a wholesale re-assessment of the Allied bombing strategy. Though scores of Luftwaffe planes were lost as well, and the target suffered extensive damage, twice as many US airmen were lost on that day than on any previous mission.
Click here for price and more info...
|
BACK TO TOP
