Apparently, you don’t need Kevlar to stop bullets. Human skin combined with spider silk-infused goat milk can do the job just as well. Dutch scientists recently brought this combination to life, pushing the limits of science. The project is called “2.6 g 329m/s” which is the standard weight and velocity that a Type 1 bulletproof vest can protect against.
Spider silk might not seem like much, but it’s the toughest of all the silks in existence. Its many times stronger than steel, and it’s the toughest natural protein fiber. With that much strength, spider silk is capable of a great many things. And when woven together, it could even stop bullets.
Jalilia Essaidi thought that perhaps there could be one less layer between the person and the spider silk. Why not combine spider silk with human skin? (It isn’t that simple, and the experiment did not include a person.) Theoretically, though, the spider silk protein could take the place of keratin which is responsible for the toughness of human skin.
Rather, genetically enhanced goats were infused with spider silk at the genetic level. The goats then produced milk that carried the spider silk protein which was then spun into a matrix laced with human skin cells.
The human-spider matrix contained various types of cells that typically make up the dermis and epidermis. Once fully combined, a 22-caliber Long Rifle bullet was fired at the matrix at a slightly reduced speed. The matrix succeeded in stopping a bullet at the reduced speed, but not one at full speed.
Despite this, Jalila & co. still consider the experiment a success. Further research and experimentation will yield better and stronger results. Maybe there will come a day when soldiers don’t need armor.
Here’s the video explaining the project with the human-spider matrix in action. If you speak Dutch, you’re in luck. If not, it’s time to learn Dutch.
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