MATERIALS| NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCESCIENCE26 February 2017GETTY X2If you want your silkworms to spin super-
strong silk, just feed them graphene.
Researchers at Tsinghua University in
China have found that spraying a solution
containing 0.2 per cent graphene or carbon
nanotubes (basically rolls of graphene)
onto a silkworm’s regular diet of mulberry
leaves causes them to spin silk that is
50 per cent stronger than usual.
After putting the silk into a spectrometer,
the team found that the ‘super silk’ had
a more orderly structure than regular silk
with parts of the fed carbon nanomaterials
incorporated into the fibres. This graphite-
like structure also allows the fibres to
conduct electricity.
The team is as yet unsure how the carbon
materials made it into the silk but say the
process could be scaled up to produce
large batches. It could potentially be used
to make eco-friendly protective fabrics,
stronger medical implants or wearable
electronics, they say.GRAPHENE-MUNCHING SILKWORMS
SPIN ‘SUPER SILK’
DINOSAURS
DIDN’T ROAR
The T. rex just got a little less
terrifying. A team at the
University of Texas has found
that, rather than roaring,
dinosaurs made a honking sound
similar to that made by geese.CHEESE MAKES WINE
TASTE BETTER
Want to hide the fact you are
serving your dinner guests
cheap plonk? Break out the brie.
Researchers at the Centre for
Taste and Feeding Behaviour in
Dijon, France, have found that
drinking wine after eating cheese
increases the aroma of red fruits
and reduces the astringency
caused by tannins.ASTRONAUTS FACE
DEMENTIA RISK
EN ROUTE TO MARS
Prolonged exposure to energetic
charged particles, such as those
found in cosmic rays, could
cause significant long-term brain
damage resulting in cognitive
impairments and dementia,
researchers from the University
of California have found.ELEPHANTS WALK
ON THEIR TIPTOES
What do elephants and ballerinas
have in common? They both walk
up on their toes. Researchers
at the University of Queensland,
Australia, have found that
elephants put most pressure on
the outside toes of their front feet
as they plod around.WHAT WE LEARNED
THIS MONTHThe silkworm spins a cocoon,
made of a single thread up to 900m
long, before turning into a mothAdding carbon nanotubes
(pictured) or graphene
to a silkworm’s diet allows
them to create stronger silk24 February 2017